Forever Tied
by NarwhalAttack
Summary: Three years after high school, the girls are brought back to their pasts. Spencer's surprise visit from Toby throws her off as she tries to navigate a new relationship. Aria's new English professor is a familiar face. Hanna's stable life becomes unstable when she has to work with an ex. Alison's visit to California brings up old feelings with Emily.
1. Chapter 1

**The Liars go to college!**

* * *

1

Spencer

Crammed in her tiny Georgetown dorm room, Spencer Hastings had textbooks, homework, and papers all over the place. The entirety of her bed was covered. She had her laptop open to watch the online lectures, and of course, a freshly brewed cup of coffee sitting on the table next to her bed. Her roommate was often annoyed with how cluttered things got whenever Spencer turned into a stress ball and started extreme studying for an exam.

"How many times am I gonna walk into a room that looks like this?"

It sounded like somewhat of a joke, but Spencer knew that her roommate Hazel was actually getting pretty fed up with the way she kept things while she was studying. She wasn't the organized, pristine Spencer who had all her stuff together all the time in high school. Her things were still organized overall, but she went all out when it came time for a big exam.

"Well, I have a midterm tomorrow. Sorry, not sorry."

Hazel rolled her eyes, and then hopped onto her bed.

"You're so boring, Hastings," Hazel commented. "I mean, I knew that I was getting a studious roommate when I agreed to room with you, but I thought we'd at least do fun things together. I thought I'd get to know the wild, interesting side to you. I thought that I wouldn't judge a book by it's cover. But really, you seem to be just like the cover."

" _Wow_ , I'm offended," Spencer shook her head. "Look, I'm not here to be messing around. I'm here to get good grades, and guarantee myself a successful future."

"We're all smart people here. That's how we even got in," Hazel sighed, laying back down onto her bed. "But that doesn't mean we can _never_ do anything fun."

"Yeah, well my life isn't all that interesting, so you're out of luck. Maybe you should just find a new, interesting roommate," Spencer said in a snide tone.

Hazel decided to end the conversation there, letting her eyes shut. Maybe she'd take a nice power nap. After all, she'd just come from her afternoon classes, which were all too long for her. Just before she could shut her eyes, there was a knock at their dorm room door.

"I guess _I'll_ get it, since apparently you're too busy napping, and I've got nothing to do today... other than study for a huge midterm..." Spencer muttered sarcastically. She pushed her papers aside and got up from her dorm bed, walking towards the door. She heard Hazel laughing quietly, but it soon turned to silence, and she was back to trying to nap.

Spencer gripped the golden door knob, and pulled the door open. Her eyes went wide.

" _Toby_."

Immediately, Hazel's eyes shot open, and she sat up in her bed. She didn't know too much about this topic, but she knew that Spencer had mentioned his name before. She knew that he was an ex-boyfriend of hers, and that they had dated for a long time. Spencer didn't really talk too much about why they broke up. All Hazel remembered was that he used to occasionally visit during their first year at school, and he'd spend time with her. Somewhere during the beginning of sophomore year, he stopped visiting. Spencer had casually said that they broke up, as if it didn't bother her, but Hazel saw her bawling her eyes out several times. She didn't really talk much about him after they broke up. It seemed to be a sore subject for her.

It felt ironic that Hazel was talking about how boring Spencer's life was, just when her ex-boyfriend showed up at their door. Hazel couldn't say that she was disappointed to see some drama in Spencer's life. It was interesting for her to watch go down.

"What are you doing here?" Spencer asked, still in shock.

Hazel analyzed him. He was wearing a gray jacket, khaki pants, and black sneakers. He was dressed well. He had his hands shoved in his pockets. He looked rather nervous to be there... probably nervous to see how she reacted to him being there.

"I came to see you," he responded.

Spencer glanced back at Hazel, noticing that she was interested in this. She shot her roommate a glare.

"Can we talk outside?" Spencer bit her lip.

Toby nodded his head. Spencer turned back to look at Hazel again, giving her the same glare. Hazel snickered quietly. She wished that she would be able to hear what they talked about, but decided that she'd just badger Spencer until she gave her the details after it was over. Spencer stepped outside of the dorm room with Toby, shutting the door behind them.

"Toby, you shouldn't be here," Spencer said sternly.

"There are a lot of things that I shouldn't do... but I'm doing it anyway," he smiled.

"I'm serious... what are you doing here right now?" she asked.

"I told you: I wanted to see you, Spencer," he repeated.

"Would a phone call not be sufficient?" she raised her eyebrows.

"Well, you can't hang up on me if I come to your door, can you?" he joked. He looked at her sadly, but kept the smile on his face. "I thought I could come see you again... I miss you."

"You came all the way here to tell me that you miss me?" she raised her eyebrows. "Come on! Don't tell me that you don't think that this is ridiculous!"

"Weren't you the one who said that you and I would still be friends after we broke up?" Toby raised his eyebrows. "Look, I like D.C. You go to school here. I know you... we're friends. Can't we just hang out?"

"I have a midterm tomorrow," she shook her head. "I can't be... distracted."

"Hanging out isn't that distracting," he objected. "You know what _is_ distracting, though?"

Spencer raised her eyebrows, waiting for his response to his own question. But to her surprise, he took a few steps forward, and pressed his lips against hers. He rested his hands on her cheeks, kissing her so softly that she _couldn't_ bring herself to hate it. She kissed him back, and she hated herself for it, but she did it. She let her hands fly to his torso, gripping onto him tightly, and pulling him in for more. She couldn't deny that she missed the way his lips felt against hers. It felt right to be kissing him again.

"Toby..." she muttered, stepping back from him, knowing that it wasn't right to do this when they hadn't talked about anything since their break up. "We can't... we shouldn't."

"And why not?" he asked, raising his eyebrows. "Are you seeing somebody else?"

"No... but that doesn't mean that we should. My point still stands: I have to study for my midterm!" she reminded.

"Well, I'm in town for a few days," he grinned proudly. "So, once you get that midterm all finished up... and I _know_ you're gonna ace it, like you always do... you can just give me a call, and we can spend some time catching up."

Catching up was sure to be anything but a "friendly" day out. She knew she would fall into old habits and end up doing something she might regret, like how she just kissed him back. She couldn't help but act like a fool around him sometimes. He still made her weak in the knees, even after the year that they had been broken up.

The only problem was that... she had sort of _lied_ when she said she wasn't seeing somebody else.

There was this guy in her economics study group who she had a somewhat complicated relationship with. He liked her, and she sort of liked him back. They spent a lot of time together, kissed a few times, and they never really discussed what they were, but it would be a lie to say that they were _nothing_. They weren't boyfriend and girlfriend or anything, but they weren't _nothing_ at all.

And she felt bad that one of them was going to get hurt when they found out about the other. She hoped that she could just keep her mouth to herself and resist Toby. Then maybe she wouldn't have to tell him about the other guy.

* * *

Aria

"Everyone says the new professor is _super_ cute."

Aria raised her eyebrows as she turned back to look at her friend, who was also a classmate of hers. They had met in their English class, and they had a lot in common.

"Kendall, you're kidding me... he's probably just a little bit younger than Professor Lowe. I'm really upset that he's leaving, actually. He's been a great professor all year. I've learned a lot from him," Aria sighed.

"Yeah, he's been a good professor, but he got a better job offer, and I'm happy for him," Kendall reminded, smiling. "People say that the new professor's really nice, so it should still be okay."

"Well, we're about to find out, aren't we?" Aria laughed.

They stepped into the nearly empty lecture hall together, heading to their usual seats. Aria pulled out her copy of William Faulkner's _As I Lay Dying_ , which she assumed that the new professor was going to pick up with. Then, she waited patiently. She laughed internally at the thought of everyone saying that the new English professor was super cute. It reminded her of high school, when she made some not-so-good life choices. Choices that probably could have jeopardized her future.

Kendall was seated next to her, with her own copy of the book in front of her. More students filled up the lecture hall as it got closed to the class's starting time. Aria stared at the book in front of her, tracing circles with her finger on the front cover as she waited. Eventually, it was time for her class to start.

"Hello, wonderful students," an all too familiar voice said cheerfully. "As you may already know, Professor Lowe has left Hollis College, and is quite obviously no longer going to be your English professor. So, then there's _me_!" He chuckled quietly. "My name is _Ezra Fitz_. However, you should probably address me as Professor Fitz."

Immediately, Aria's head shot up. _No way_. It couldn't be.

She didn't know why she was so surprised. He had left Rosewood for some time, but apparently he was back.

"I'm your new English professor, and I want to give you all a warm welcome. I'm excited to see where this class goes, and what kinds of interesting discussions we're going to have. That's the beauty of English and literature... we get to have some real, raw discussions in here. I'm extremely excited to meet all of you, and get to know you throughout the rest of this year. I'm sure you're all wonderful intellectuals," he continued. "A little bit about myself: I used to teach English at Rosewood High School. I did that straight after I got my teaching degree. I've taught at Hollis College before, but I did go back to Rosewood High School eventually. Then, I took a decently-sized break from teaching, and went on a trip to South America with Habitats for Humanity. It was an enlightening trip, and I learned a lot during my time there, but I ultimately couldn't stay away from the teaching world, so I applied for another job with Hollis College. And here I am! Back in the teaching world!"

Aria was practically chewing her lip off at this point. She hated how she knew the inside of this story that he was telling. He left Rosewood High School to teach at Hollis before so that _they_ could continue their relationship and lessen the legal repercussions of it. He went _back_ to Rosewood High School after they broke up for what felt like the millionth time. They tried their relationship so many times, but it didn't seem to work. When Aria graduated from Rosewood High School, Ezra had informed her that he was going to do volunteer work with Habitats for Humanity. He had been meeting up with Nicole Gordon from the program, and she had gotten him on board with the idea.

Aria had been jealous of Ezra and Nicole. She wondered if Nicole was something more than a friend to him at the time, but he assured her that she wasn't. Aria wondered if things had changed after they spend all that quality time together on their trip, but she knew she didn't really have a right to know. It was truly none of her business. They had broken up almost _four years_ ago.

But of course, Aria had ended up back in his English classroom!

It was like history was dying to repeat itself.

She tried to avoid his eyes, not wanting him to notice that she was in his class. She didn't need a repeat of what happened when he found out that she was his student on her first day of junior year.

But eventually, he finished his speech, and he scanned around the lecture hall to get a good look at his newest class. And he saw her... sitting there. His eyes were almost bugging out of his head, and Aria was afraid that he was going to say something and make this worse than it already was. Several of the students were already wondering why he was giving Aria a big, bug-eyed stare. Aria was _expecting_ him to say _holy crap_ , like he'd done all those years ago.

Luckily, he didn't do it. He stayed silent, but his eyes were fixed on hers.

"Moving along..." Ezra swallowed hard. "In my understanding, you were analyzing Darl's characterization in Faulkner's _As I Lay Dying_ , am I correct?"

There was a chorus of "yes" mumbles, but Aria was too busy freaking out to participate. She wondered if the other students were still wondering why he stared at her for so long. The last thing she wanted to do was have to rehash her past with him, and have everybody know that she used to date her current professor... illegally, while he was her high school teacher. Rehashing that past would bring the risk of tarnishing her professionalism and her career. She couldn't start her future off with a _student-teacher relationship scandal_.

Kendall seemed to have noticed _something_. The brunette leaned closer to Aria, tapping her gently and subtly.

"What the hell was that about?" she whispered.

"Nothing... I don't know," Aria shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe he recognizes me. He was my teacher in high school."

"Oh," Kendall nodded her head, but she sounded like she was in disbelief. But then again, who the hell would buy that their professor gave her a nice, long stare just because he recognized her as one of his former students? It just wasn't a likely story.

Aria felt like she used to be a better liar than this. After all, she did get away with hiding her relationship with him for quite some time.

When class ended, she didn't stay for one moment. She didn't want to be interrogated by any students, or _Professor Fitz_ , for that matter.

* * *

Hanna

Hanna happily walked into the loft she shared with her boyfriend.

"I'm back!" she enthusiastically announced, dropping her bag on the couch.

Soon, her boyfriend emerged from the other room, throwing a shirt on as he did so.

"Hello, love," he greeted with a huge smile. He was so genuinely happy to see her. He kept walking towards her, and greeted her with a short peck on the lips. "How were your classes today?"

"Great... but you know what's greater? _The way you smell_!" Hanna exclaimed.

He chuckled quietly. "Well, I just showered, Hanna."

"Well, I like it. A lot," Hanna told him.

"I like you... _a_ _lot_ ," he joked back.

Hanna smiled wider. She really did find her Prince Charming, didn't she? His name was Jordan Hobart, and he was handsome, sweet, funny, successful... and not to mention, had the loveliest accent that Hanna could never get tired of hearing.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him again, this time longer and with much more passion. He rested his hands on her waist, deepening their kiss.

When he pulled back, he commented, "I can see that you missed me today, love..."

"Of course I did, Jordan," Hanna smiled. "I always miss you when I'm away from you."

He smiled wider, bringing his hand up to her soft blonde hair, stroking it gently and sweetly.

"I missed you, too," he informed her. "Well, what did you do in school today?"

"I had some time to work on some new designs," Hanna shrugged her shoulders. "It's not that important."

"But it _is_ important!" he insisted. "Let me see some of your designs, Hanna. You rarely ever let me look at them. Is it so wrong that I want to see my talented girlfriend's work?"

Hanna swooned at his words. "Well, when you say I'm your _girlfriend_ , I might just _have_ to show you what I've been working on." She pecked his lips again quickly. "Let me just grab my sketches from my bag real quick."

She went over to the couch and fished out a large drawing pad, which she had been filling with designs that she had imagined ever since she started school. She flipped to the pages with her latest ones, and handed them to Jordan. He smiled as he analyzed them. He looked like he truly saw potential in them, and that made Hanna happy. She sometimes felt like her career was going to go nowhere. New York was a competitive place to be.

"Oh, Hanna..." he grinned. "These are _wonderful_. You've got so much talent, you know that, sweetheart?"

Hanna bit her lip. "You really think so?"

She couldn't help but feel insecure about her designs. Of course, she liked what she created, but she knew that there were a million other people just like her who were creating designs constantly, some with exquisite talent. Everyone she met in her classes was extraordinarily talented at what they did.

"Yes!" Jordan exclaimed, stroking his thumb against the paper on the drawing pad. "I really mean it."

"You're not just saying that to make me happy, are you? Because that's worse than telling me that they suck!" Hanna raised her eyebrows.

"They do not _suck_. In fact, they do quite the opposite," he joked. "I'm so amazed by them that I want to pitch them to my company. I think that you could go so far."

"Jordan... I told you that I don't want you to use your position to help me out. I'd feel too bad about doing that," Hanna sighed.

"Don't think of it that was, okay? I'm not asking to submit it because you're my girlfriend. I'm asking to submit it because I think you've got so much talent, and I don't want it to be wasted. I want the world to see what you create, because it's truly lovely," he explained.

"I know this is a biased offer..." she sighed.

"Maybe a little," he chuckled. "Look, I know it's not the fairest thing that I'm choosing your work, but it's worth a try to show to my boss. In the end, it's not _my_ word that's going to get your work out there. It'll only happen if my boss has the same vision as I do."

Hanna sighed. She still felt bad about it. But, she really wanted to boost her career, and this was an opportunity that seemed like too big of a deal to miss. Her boyfriend had an _in_ with a fashion company, which was exactly the start she needed. Plus, _he_ was the one who had insisted that she submit her work to his boss. And Jordan was right: his word may help getting it in the presence of his boss, but the final word _came_ from his boss. It all came down to whether or not his boss saw potential in her work, too.

"Okay," she nodded her head. "I'm willing to give it a shot if you are... only if you're really okay helping me out with this."

"You know that I'd do anything for you, right, love?" he raised his eyebrows.

"I know that," Hanna nodded her head.

She pressed her lips against his again, then hugged him tightly.

* * *

Emily

Emily gulped down a ton of alcohol, and then set her beer bottle down on a nearby table. Then, she plastered a huge grin on her face, walking into the crowd of people who were at the party she was at. She swayed subtly and lightly to the loud music that was playing, not bothered by the invasive volume of the bass. She felt somebody near her, dancing against her. Their soft hands touched her waist, and for some reason, she liked the way she was being touched. It made her forget about everything that was hard in her life.

She turned around to face the person, smirking when she saw how attractive they were. The person was a beautiful blonde girl. She was wearing a tight dress that hugged her curves perfectly. Emily licked her lips. She liked where this was going already.

"Hey..." Emily said, raising her eyebrows.

"Hey," the girl greeted back. It seemed like there was a smirk on her face. "You must be Emily Fields, right?"

Emily furrowed her eyebrows. "Yeah... I am. Why? How do you even know who I am?"

The girl blinked.

"I've heard things about you," she said. She leaned closer. They were so close. "People talk about you all the time around here, you know that? The girls here talk about how hot you are. I looked at some photos, and I was surprised that they were so right. I wanted to see you for myself in person."

"And?" Emily laughed, shaking her head.

The girl laughed back.

"Oh, you _definitely_ live up to my expectations," she said.

"That's good. I'm glad," Emily said, her voice flirtatious, practically inviting the girl to come closer to her. "So, are you going to tell me your name, or are you going to be a stranger all night?"

"My name's Jennifer," she answered. "You must come to these things often. You look like a pro out here."

"What do you mean?" Emily laughed. "I was barely even dancing."

"Well, your supposed 'barely dancing' is hotter than any dancing I've ever done, even when I'm trying my hardest," Jennifer joked.

"I'm sure you're not that bad. And to be fair, I used to take dance lessons. I started when I was really young, too. Everyone can learn. Maybe you just need to find the right teacher," Emily flirted harder. She stepped even closer to Jennifer.

She took a leap of faith and planted her hands on Jennifer's cheeks. Getting a good vibe back from that move, Emily leaned in and kissed her. It was short, yet Emily felt like there was a depth to it... a depth that she liked, and that she wanted to explore even more.

"So, since you said that you're not really a party pro, maybe you'd wanna come back to my dorm?" Emily offered, stroking her hand down Jennifer's arm seductively.

"I'm not opposed to that at all," Jennifer bit her lip.

* * *

Alison

Immediately after school that day, Alison DiLaurentis went up to her room. She was also attending Hollis College, so she got to see Aria quite frequently. But first, she attended Rosewood State for a year, and then decided to try transferring to Hollis College. She knew that she wanted to stay somewhere close to home so that she could be near her family... especially Charlotte. She wanted to try and build a strong relationship with Charlotte, and support her while she was being taken care of at the Welby State Psychiatric Hospital. She was studying to become a teacher, specifically an English teacher. She hoped that she would be able to teach at Rosewood High School someday.

She wanted to get out of Rosewood, but there seemed to be no purpose to it. She didn't have huge aspirations in life. All she was really looking for was some basic stability. At least, that was what she _had_ wanted before. After the chaos of A and being on the run for a few years, Alison was tired of the games. She was tired of being scared and stressed. She needed some peace in her life, and was hoping that since the A game was no more, she would be able to find that sort of stability. She had a basic plan etched out in her mind: finish school, find a decent job, get married, and start a family.

That peaceful life had been the dream for her. She could live so _normally_.

She would be married to a nice man, have kids of her own, and maintain a relationship with her sister. It seemed that it was fool proof, and that was why she liked it. There was no risk factor. Life would be easy. It would take some time to get there (to finish school, to find a good man, and all that...), but nonetheless was worth it in the end. It meant no more drama.

But it got boring. The easy life got boring. And sometimes she started to miss when she was surrounded by her best friends. She still had Aria, of course, but they didn't talk _that_ much. They'd go out together sometimes, maybe get a cup of coffee before class some days. But Aria had her own life. She had her own friends, her own aspirations, her own everything. They weren't that close.

And that was why she decided to book a ticket to California. _Malibu_ , California, to be more specific. Right where Emily Fields was partying her ass off in college.

It was a surprise, and also a risky move. She had no idea if Emily still cared about her, or if she even _wanted_ her there.

They sometimes had talked on the phone, but not so much anymore. But for some reason, the thought kept crossing her mind. Alison kept wondering if she should go visit Emily. She _wanted_ to. Emily was one of the only people who she had let her walls down around... she was one of the few people who Alison actually _loved_.

In the middle of her search for flights to California, her doorbell rang loudly, invading her ears— invading the excitement and fear she had about her upcoming trip to California. She groaned quietly, hopping off of her bed and heading downstairs. She opened her front door, raising her eyebrows when she saw _Elliott Rollins_ standing there. Or, _Dr. Rollins_ , to be more specific.

He was one of Charlotte's mental health doctors over at the Welby Hospital. Alison had met him a while back, right when Charlotte got placed at Welby. He was a nice man, and he was most certainly fairly charming. He had kind eyes and a kind smile, pale skin, and silky brown hair. He was always well-dressed and professional-looking. Alison was quite fond of him. He was the only one of Charlotte's doctors who Alison actually liked. The rest of them didn't care about Charlotte or her wellbeing; they just cared about getting a nice salary. Elliott _cared_. He cared about Alison, and he cared about Charlotte.

"Elliott!" Alison greeted, slightly startled that he came to her door. "Hi! What are you doing here? I mean, don't you have to be at work?"

"No, I clocked out for the day since I worked overtime the other night," he explained calmly. "I thought I'd come over to see you, since I have the afternoon off today."

"Oh..." Alison blushed. "That's sweet. Do you need something?"

He raised his eyebrows. "Not necessarily. But I would _like_ to take you out for dinner next Friday. What do you say to that?"

Alison pressed her lips together. It wouldn't work. She was planning on being in California next week, unless Emily ended up kicking her out.

"I... I don't think I'm going to be here next week, Elliott. I'm sorry. I'm taking a trip," she apologized.

"No, don't be sorry, Alison," he smiled sweetly. "It's all good. I completely understand. But, perhaps we could go out for dinner another time, then? Maybe tonight instead? I mean, you're done with school for the day, and I'm done with my work."

"I don't think that's a good idea," she bit her lip. "I actually have a lot of homework that I need to submit online before midnight."

"Alright, that's also fine," Elliott nodded his head, getting the feeling that he was just being rejected. "I hope you're not just saying that to blow me off, and that you're _actually_ busy and going on a trip."

"I am, I promise," she assured him. She did have homework, it wasn't a lie. And she _was_ going on a trip. That also wasn't a lie. "Look, I think you're great, Elliott. You're kind, smart, and funny. I like being around you, but..."

"But?" he raised his eyebrows. "I got the feeling that you liked me, too, but it wouldn't be the first time that my judgment's been wrong about something like this." He laughed quietly, but there was a certain sadness to it.

She tilted her head to the side. "But nothing. You're fine as is, Elliott. I just don't think that this is a good idea. You're Charlotte's doctor. It's just not professional, okay?"

He nodded his head.

"I get it. But with all the progress that Charlotte's making, I think she'll be out of there real quickly. I'm hoping that I'm right, and I'm also hoping that means that you're willing to grab dinner with me sometime after this is all over?" he asked.

"We'll see," she smiled.

"Well, that's better than nothing. I'll take what I can get," he chuckled. "Whether or not you agreed, it's always a pleasure to see you, Alison."

"You, too," she said.

He stood there for a moment, feeling somewhat uncomfortable. He decided to step closer and press a kiss to her cheek. It was soft and gentle, and clearly was nothing more than innocent. Alison kept smiling, looking at him sympathetically as he backed away from her front door. Elliott Rollins was a good man, and Alison knew that. He was the perfect type of man for her to start a life and a family with. He was certainly husband material. She had known him for a long time, so she could tell. It was no secret that he cared about her, or that he had feelings for her... at least not anymore. But Alison couldn't bring herself to say yes to going on a date with him just yet.

She wasn't sure why.

He was, essentially, perfect.

But she was starting to doubt herself— the plan of safety that she had created for herself in order to avoid ever getting hurt again after high school. She didn't really want to ease herself into a domestic, boring life. She was Alison DiLaurentis, for God's sake. She used to be a legend— a wild girl who had tons of fun. She knew she had made a lot of mistakes in her past, and maybe she was _too_ wild, but she couldn't help but miss having a little adventure in her life. She felt like she was having a mid-life crisis even though she hadn't even finished college yet! That was how she knew that her life was just no fun.

And maybe seeing one of her favorite people from her past would help her pick up some of the pieces of who she used to be. Because she hadn't just _changed_. She was an entirely new person— almost unrecognizable. Some people would say that it was a good thing that she changed herself completely after everything that she had done as a teenager, but she had to disagree. Despite her mistakes, there was some good to her.

And Emily Fields was always the one who brought out the best in her, even when she used to have fun in life. She was hoping that Emily could make her have fun again, but without sacrificing every healthy, good part of her personality that she was able to grow and develop after taking some time to herself.


	2. Chapter 2

2

Aria

Aria dreaded going to English class ever since she found out that Ezra Fitz was her replacement professor. She never thought that she'd have to hear that name again. She figured he would return to Rosewood eventually, but had tried her hardest to forget about him. She understood and accepted that he was moving on with his life after she graduated, and decided to do the same. They both took control of their lives and moved on from their overly-tumultuous relationship, yet somehow landed in this position.

She avoided Ezra's eyes for the entire lecture. Kendall kept wondering what her deal was— she didn't get what Aria's problem was with the new professor. Of course she didn't, though. How could she know everything that they had been through together? Aria needed to keep it a secret.

But of course, the lecture ended one day, and things were different.

Aria was ready to dash out the door like she had been doing previously, but this time, she couldn't. She couldn't because Professor Fitz called her from the front of the lecture hall, and asked her if he could have a discussion with her about the class. As courtesy, she couldn't refuse when he asked her. He was still her professor, even if they had a much different history than any of the other students had with him. She would talk to any of her professors, so there wasn't supposed to be a difference when it came to him.

"I'll catch up with you later," Kendall told her, furrowing her eyebrows as she tried to analyze this odd dynamic between them. She was certainly wondering what they were talking about... what discussion needed to be had at this moment.

Aria nodded her head, dismissing Kendal, who continued out of the lecture hall. Aria walked towards the front of the hall, where Ezra was standing. He looked nervous, as if he had been dreading this conversation as well. And then, as if Aria didn't already know, this discussion wasn't just a regular discussion that he would have with any student. It was obvious from the start.

"Um... I thought that it's necessary that we address the evident elephant in the room," he began, scratching his head. "I'll start: I had no idea that you were going to be a student here... in this class, or even at this school. I had no idea that you were a student at Hollis when I applied for the job, and I wouldn't have done it if I had known that this was going to be the end result. Seriously, I didn't mean to waltz back into your life and make it complicated again. Honestly, I just wanted to teach again, and they had an English professor opening here, so I took the job."

Aria swallowed hard.

"No, I understand," she bit her lip. "There's no problem with this. At least... not anymore. It's been years... There's no reason why this shouldn't be okay, Ezra—" She immediately caught her own mistake. She couldn't be acting like this if she really wanted this arrangement to work out. "I'm sorry. I mean, Professor Fitz."

He chuckled quietly and nervously. But it wasn't really a funny matter. It was a dangerous coincidence that they ended up in the same place. And he knew he would be putting Aria's career at risk if anyone found out about their history. He didn't want to destroy her life.

"Look, I'm willing to quit, okay?" Ezra offered.

"Professor Fitz, that's fine. You don't have to quit for me. We can make this work, okay?" she told him.

"No, I'm serious. I'm willing to quit, Aria. My girlfriend has a steady job. We'll be just fine without me working, and I'm sure if I plead for it, Rosewood High School will let me teach there again," Ezra explained.

Aria felt the sting a little bit when he said girlfriend. She didn't know why. She wasn't supposed to care, and she didn't want to care. Maybe it was more intrigue than jealousy, but there was something there. She wanted to know who he was dating, which she knew was unprofessional, considering the fact that he was just supposed to be her professor now. She was beginning to question if this arrangement even had a chance of working out. There really was way too much history between them. It wasn't the type of thing that they could just erase and pretend like it never happened.

"There really is no reason to quit," Aria assured him. "Honestly, I'm just like any other student in your class. It doesn't have to be weird. I know we have history, but it's only weird if we make it that way. We're both mature enough to handle this like adults, so let's do that."

Ezra nodded his head.

"You're right," he said, smiling softly. "Thank you."

"Of course," Aria smiled back sadly. "I'll see you in class on Monday, Professor Fitz."

"Yeah," he nodded his head. "It's good to see you again, Miss Montgomery."

Aria felt her heart sink, just a little bit, as she turned around and headed to the door of the lecture hall. She had so many doubts about this, even if she had agreed to it and told him that everything was going to be okay in the arrangement. She knew damn well that this thing was complicated. She promised herself that she would try her hardest to just be mature, like she said she would be.

Hanna

Hanna Marin hadn't been so excited in a long time.

Her boyfriend had gotten her an amazing opportunity with his company. And Hanna did feel a little bad that he was helping her out with the opportunity, but she was gradually getting okay with it. Because all in all, it was an amazing opportunity. And Jordan loved her! There was nothing wrong with him helping her out a little bit. They'd been together for quite some time now, and they were both happy together.

Jordan was bringing her in to work that day, and she was excited yet nervous at the same time. It was a big day... a big moment. And it was scary as hell, because it all depended on what Jordan's boss thought of her designs.

Jordan parked his car in the parking lot, and the two of them got out of the car. They started walking towards his big, shiny, intimidating office building, and Hanna kept growing more worried. If this flopped, she wasn't sure what she'd do. She'd have to keep competing with the other people at school. She liked school and all, but she wanted to jump start her career already. She wanted to get into the real world, and start creating something amazing. Jordan stopped her outside of the doors before they could walk inside.

"Don't be nervous, love," he told her, putting his hands on her cheeks gently. "I know that this is a huge moment for you, but you're going to have to stay calm. Whatever happens in here today happens. We just have to hope for the best, and that my boss knows a good design when he sees one. I think we can have faith that he does. He has sponsored numerous successful designers in the past. We just have to hope that you'll be added to the collection."

Hanna nodded her head.

"I can't help but freak out... this is just, too big," she sighed.

He pecked her lips.

"I believe in you," he said.

They smiled at each other, and then headed into the office building. There were bustling and busy workers everywhere. Everyone was doing something, completely occupied. Hanna was excited to be a part of this working life. She wanted to be a part of it, and she could only hope that Jordan's boss was going to give her that opportunity.

They took the elevator up to the top floor, where Hanna assumed that his boss was. They stepped out once she doors opened again, and walked down the floor to a room with large glass walls. Jordan's boss sat there. Slicked back hair, sitting in a large brown chair... he looked like he was meant to be the boss of a company. Hanna hoped to have this kind of success someday.

Jordan knocked on his boss's door. His boss was on the phone, talking intently to someone, but quickly ended the conversation after hearing the knock. He put the phone down, and got up from his chair, walking over to the door to open it.

He grinned.

"Mr. Jordan Hobart, what a pleasure it is to see you!" his boss exclaimed. "And you must be the lovely Hanna Marin, who Mr. Hobart has raved about immensely. Nice to meet you, Miss Marin. My name is Alexander Kramer, and I am looking forward to seeing if you are everything that Mr. Hobart has been saying you are."

Hanna smiled. He was a lot nicer than she had been expecting.

"It's nice to meet you, too," she said. "And I look forward to showing you what I've done."

"Excellent!" Alexander exclaimed. He pointed over to his table. "Have a seat in a chair over there, and we can get this started."

Hanna sat down next to Jordan. She pulled out her portfolio from her bag, setting it down on the table, and opening it up to the first page. Alexander smiled when he saw the first design.

"So, Miss Marin, tell me a little bit about yourself before I look through your design portfolio," Alexander said.

Hanna felt herself getting excited.

"Well, I lived in Rosewood, Pennsylvania for most of my life, but when I graduated high school, I knew I wanted something bigger. So, I headed out to New York to study design. I'm currently a third year college student."

Alexander nodded his head. "So, you're relatively new to the actual industry then, huh?"

The blonde nodded her head back, but felt bad about it. She thought that he was unimpressed by her because she was technically an amateur in the field. It was true that she didn't have much experience, but it was only because she was still a college student.

"I guess so. I have done a few internships at companies during my summer breaks," Hanna explained.

Alexander smiled. "That's good. Is there a copy of your resume somewhere in here?"

She nodded her head, then reached over to the table to flip her book to the back, where there was a copy of her resume. She pulled it out, and slid it over to Alexander.

"Wonderful, Miss Marin," he said. "I'll have a look at your designs today, and I'll let you know when I make my decision. I know this was a rather short meeting, but I've actually got a call that I need to make to one of my partners. But there's not much to discuss, anyways. You seem to be a lovely young woman, and I don't doubt your personality at all. Really, it all just comes down to the quality of your designs. So, I'll have a close look at them, and we'll see. Thank you for coming in today, Miss Marin."

Hanna felt warm inside as she got up from the chair in Alexander's office. She turned to Jordan with a bright smile on her face, feeling hopeful about the way that the interview went. She knew that Jordan got her an in with the company, but she felt like she had actually accomplished something… as if he actually appreciated her work. And maybe soon, more people would be able to see everything she had done, too. She had doubted her skills for so long, feeling like she would never amount to much in life… at least never as much as her friends, who always seemed okay. It seemed like everything would work out for them in the end, especially Spencer.

Once they left the office, Hanna took Jordan's hand, squeezing it gently and excitedly. Outside, Jordan turned to look at his girlfriend. He tilted his head to the side, proudness radiating in his eyes. He looked like he really believed in her, and Hanna loved him for that. For once, she felt happy with her life, and the way that everything was going. Nothing felt upside down. Everything felt like it was going in a positive direction. It was a weird feeling.

"How do you feel, love?" Jordan asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Good," she answered, smiling. "I feel good about it. Hopeful, even… I don't want to get my hopes up, though."

"He certainly likes you," Jordan assured her. "I should get started on my work now, though. Go ahead and take the car to school. Pick me up around six?"

Hanna nodded her head.

"I'll see you tonight, babe," she smiled. She propped onto her tip-toes and placed a short kiss on Jordan's lips.

He smiled back at her, and watched her walk towards the elevator.

Emily

Emily sighed, grabbing a textbook from her desk, then walking towards her dorm bed and hopping onto it. As she opened the textbook, her roommate stepped inside of the room.

"You're _studying_? That's a first."

Emily rolled her eyes, looking up towards the doorway.

"Yeah, I am. I actually have an exam coming up," Emily told her.

"That hasn't stopped you in the past," her roommate chuckled, setting her bag down on the table. "You've been out all week. Wanna tell me how the parties went?"

Emily shrugged her shoulders. "The usual."

"Come _on_ ," she rolled her eyes. "I heard you bringing a girl back the other day! You're so lucky that I was studying with Tasha that night, or I would've been right there."

"I would've been too drunk to care if you were there, Lexi," Emily joked.

Lexi tilted her head to the side. "You're really something, Fields. You know that?"

Emily shrugged her shoulders. "Look, we wouldn't even be having this discussion if we got out of this clammy dorm room. We should just find an apartment and put a lease down already."

"Yeah, most people already did that… like two years ago," Lexi laughed. "We should go on an apartment hunt soon."

Emily nodded her head, and resumed studying. She just kept staring at the pages of the textbook, not really comprehending anything. She felt… empty inside. She was used to it. It was something that she felt most days. But for some reason, it was eating at her more than usual. She felt a little disgusted with herself for hooking up with that Jennifer girl after the latest party she went to. She felt like she wasn't amounting to anything. She was hoping she could pull off a good grade on her midterm and maybe pull through with at least a few good grades overall.

Meanwhile, Lexi sat down on her own dorm bed and settled her things. Emily tried to focus on studying, but again disrupting her focus was the loud sound of her phone ringing. It was an invasive sound to her ears. Emily glanced at the caller ID.

 _Paige McCullers._

Lexi glanced over at her phone, reading the caller ID. She knew who Paige was, too. Emily had talked about her a few times. They had seen each other a few times, too. Paige came to visit, although it never really ended too well.

"Hey, are you okay?" Lexi asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Emily shook it off, but kept staring at the caller ID.

She contemplated answering. But she knew that with Paige, it was going to be a talk about fixing their relationship. Paige _always_ wanted their relationship to work, and there was a time where Emily wanted that, too. She wanted the stability of a good relationship. Distance wasn't even the problem. Paige was over at Stanford, swimming for their team and doing well in school. The distance wasn't terrible. But Emily wasn't sure that she wanted to try anymore. They had a good go… a safe relationship that Emily could count on.

Paige was somebody who would always love her, and always make it known that she was loved unconditionally. Emily didn't know why she couldn't make herself reciprocate every ounce of that love. She could have something so easy and so good with Paige McCullers, yet she found herself pushing the poor girl away every time they tried.

"Are you going to answer that?" Lexi asked.

Emily shook her head. Quickly, she reached over and declined the call.

"I told you that I'm studying," Emily reminded, biting her lip.

She felt bad about declining the call, but she couldn't stop herself. Answering the call would mean more than Emily wanted to deal with right now.

"Don't you miss her, Em?" Lexi asked.

"Look… she's great and all, but I don't want to do this again," Emily shook her head.

Lexi nodded her head sympathetically, but Emily knew that she didn't understand the issue one bit. Lexi was an amazing roommate, and a really fun friend to have. She was one of the closest friends that Emily had right now. But she knew that Lexi didn't understand what she was feeling. All Lexi saw was that Emily was pushing away somebody who really cared about her, and really wanted to be with her.

"I get it. You have a test to study for," Lexi smiled, nodding her head again.

"Yeah…" Emily muttered.

But it wasn't about the test. She wouldn't have even answered if her midterm had been cancelled!

Alison

Alison was planning on flying to California extremely soon. She had already booked her flight. She had no idea how this was going to go. Maybe Emily would turn her away at the door, telling her that she was done with her, and that her life was so much better now that they had been separated from each other. Alison knew that it would be a safer move to call first and make sure that she was free and that she even wanted her there. But she didn't do it.

Her flight was departing that afternoon. With a few hours before she needed to be in the airport, Alison decided that she would go to Welby to visit Charlotte briefly… at least to let her sister know that she was going to be away for a while. Charlotte got extremely upset every time that Alison stopped visiting without notice, so she stopped doing that, or at least let her know when she was too busy or swarmed.

"Hey, sis!" Charlotte exclaimed, practically jumping out of her bed in excitement when she saw Alison entering her room.

"Hi, Charlotte," Alison smiled back sweetly. She adjusted her floral dress before shutting the door and walking closer to Charlotte's bed.

"You look happy," Charlotte pointed out. "I haven't seen you so happy in a long time."

Alison bit her lip.

"Yeah, well… I'm actually going on a trip soon," Alison confessed. "Today, actually… My flight's leaving in a few hours. I wanted to drop by to let you know."

"I'm glad you're saying goodbye before going," Charlotte grinned. She furrowed her eyebrows playfully. "A trip is making you this happy, huh? I'm trying to figure out where you'd go that could make you so happy."

"Well, trips are generally a fun experience," Alison laughed.

"I know that trips are fun, but I doubt it's fun unless there's _someone_ there to _make_ it fun," Charlotte winked. "Let me guess: you're going to see your precious little mermaid?"

Alison raised her eyebrows. "Excuse me… what?"

Charlotte laughed knowingly. "You know I know this, Ali. Have you forgotten that there was a time where I followed you and your friends around constantly? I know these things."

Alison pressed her lips together. She usually tried not to think about her terrible past with Charlotte, and focused on building a better familial relationship with her in the present.

Charlotte continued, "So, you're going to see Emily Fields, right? _Americana_. I remember her well. She was a real pretty one."

"Yeah…" Alison confessed.

"Well, where the hell is she?" Charlotte grinned. "You said she's in California or something?"

"Wow… your memory's really functioning well today."

"How could I forget? She was, like, the only person who you ever gave a damn about back then," Charlotte reminded. "You'd always just keep talking about her. I figured you were jealous. I figured that was why you made fun of her for liking girls."

" _Charlotte_ ," Alison warned, folding her arms. "Emily is my friend, okay? I don't know what kind of assumptions you're making, but they're untrue. It's true that I miss her, and it's true that I'm going to see her again right now. But I'm visiting a friend. Is there really anything so wrong about that?"

Charlotte shrugged her shoulders.

"Nothing wrong with that, sis. Does she know that you're coming?"

Alison shook her head. "I'm going for a surprise visit. I don't know how well… or how _badly_ … she's going to take it. I'm hoping it's not the latter."

Charlotte grinned wider. "Oh, come on! I know _Americana_ , too. That girl could never be unhappy to see you, Ali. She loves you more than she loves anyone."

"You don't know anything about that," Alison shook her head. "I put her through a lot back then. I wouldn't be surprised if she didn't want to see me ever again. If I were here, _I_ wouldn't want to see me ever again. I wasn't a good friend to her."

Charlotte shook her head.

"Emily Fields would never hate you."

"Yeah, well… I'm counting on that, then."

Spencer

" _Spencer damn Hastings_!"

Spencer looked up, startled, as she was walking towards her dorm hall. She offered a small smile when she saw who it was.

"Bryan, hey…"

"Hey there, killer," he grinned. "How was the midterm? I thought it was pretty alright. So, I know you probably killed it, then. If I thought it was alright, it must've been a cake walk for you."

"It was fine," she responded. "And give yourself some credit. You're damn smart."

Bryan smiled.

"Well, here's to hoping all of our study sessions paid off, am I right?" he said.

"Yeah, I'm hoping all of those weren't for nothing," she said.

"Well, even if I failed, they wouldn't be for _nothing_ ," Bryan told her. "I'm happy that I got to spend some time with you, killer."

Spencer bit her lip. She even felt guilty _talking_ to him when she knew that Toby was in town as well. She felt like she had to tell one of them what was going on. Was she supposed to tell Bryan that she kissed Toby? She didn't feel like she had to. She wasn't even dating Bryan.

"You alright, Spencer?" Bryan asked, raising his eyebrows. "It's okay if the midterm wasn't as easy as you thought…"

"No, it was fine," Spencer chuckled nervously, scratching her head. "I should probably go, though. Hazel wanted me back in our dorm room for something after my midterm, but she didn't tell me what."

"Oh, that's cool," Bryan nodded his head. "Do you want me to walk with you back to your hall?"

"No, that's okay," Spencer offered him a small smile. "Thanks for the offer, though."

Feeling slightly rejected, Bryan nodded his head. "Alright, killer. I'll catch you later, then? Maybe call me or something, and we can celebrate the end of this killer midterm?"

Spencer nodded her head. "Sure, I'll let you know when I have time, Bryan."

Spencer returned to her dorm room, feeling frustrated as she entered. Hazel was reading a book on her bed.

"Hey," Spencer greeted, shutting the door as she walked in.

"Oh, hey! Didn't you have one of your midterms today? How was it?" Hazel asked.

"It was good," Spencer responded.

"Yeah, I'm sure you aced it… as usual," Hazel giggled.

Right then, Spencer felt her phone buzz from inside of her bag. She sighed quietly, pulling it out. Her eyebrows raised when she saw who had texted her. _Toby Cavanaugh_.

 _Toby Cavanaugh: Hey :) How was the test?_

Quickly, she typed a short response back. She wanted to respond, but she didn't want Hazel to notice. Hazel could get nosy about these kinds of things, since she felt like Spencer didn't have an interesting life.

 _Spencer Hastings: It was good. How are your lonely days in D.C.?_

But it was too late. Hazel had already noticed that she was texting away.

"Is that your ex-boyfriend again?" Hazel teased.

Spencer rolled her eyes. "Maybe."

"Come on! I know it totally is!" Hazel laughed.

"Alright, fine, it is… but what's it to you?" Spencer raised her eyebrows.

"Nothing; you can do what you want with your life, Spencer," Hazel laughed. "I just think it's cool that you're finally having some fun. Maybe now that midterms are over, you can explore this."

"What do you mean?" Spencer raised her eyebrows. " _Explore_ this? Haven't we already explored everything? I mean, we dated for so long, I think we explored everything there is to explore. He knows me better than I'd like to admit."

Hazel smiled. "No, I meant this little love triangle that you have going on. It feels like a TV show, and I am _so_ here for it."

"This is not some form of entertainment for you!" Spencer cried. "And what do you mean by love triangle, anyways?"

Hazel tilted her head to the side, giving her a knowing look of disbelief.

"Oh, _come on_ … don't give me that! Don't play dumb!" Hazel laughed. "That _whatever-it-is_ thing you've got going on with Bryan."

"We're just friends," Spencer quickly denied, rolling her eyes to make it seem more realistic.

"Fine, keep telling yourself whatever you want, Spencer," Hazel shrugged her shoulders. "Just don't let this blow up in your face, okay?"

"Thanks for the advice," Spencer rolled her eyes, jumping onto her dorm bed. She pulled her phone back out in front of her eyes to see if Toby had responded to her.

 _Toby Cavanaugh: Way to tease me… They wouldn't be so lonely if you'd just come see me u know_

Spencer bit her lip.

 _Spencer Hastings: My midterm is over…_

She didn't exactly know what she was getting herself into. She could go down many routes. She could just cut Toby off, and see if there was something real with Bryan. She could also mess around with Toby, even just for one night or something. They had a lot of problems in their relationship, but _sex_ had never been one of those problems.

Or, she could go _this_ route: work on rebuilding things with Toby.

It was a risk, too, and they had a lot to talk about. It would be a lot harder than just hooking up with him quickly.

 _Toby Cavanaugh: Stop taunting me…_

And she was starting to get a playful vibe from the conversation. She wasn't sure if he wanted to have long conversations about their future together, or if he just wanted a hook-up tonight, but it was definitely seeming to be the latter.

She didn't doubt his sincerity, though. She knew that he wasn't just trying to get sex from her and then run back to Rosewood. But she wouldn't be surprised if his current intentions were related to sex…

 _Spencer Hastings: It's not taunting if it's true._

 _Toby Cavanaugh: Then meet w/ me?_

 _Spencer Hastings: Drinks?_

 _Toby Cavanaugh: Sounds good to me_

Spencer found herself smiling like a fool. She was feeling a lot more flirtatious and bold. Normally, she would be opposed to this type of thing, but the thought of doing _this_ "dangerous" thing felt fun. And she knew it was safe because it was Toby. But, it was still a wild card to be meeting up with her ex-boyfriend for sex… and she couldn't lie, it was hot.

"Hey, Hazel, I'm gonna go take a shower, and then head out for a little while," Spencer said, smirking to herself as she got off of her dorm bed and headed towards the door of their room.

Hazel raised her eyebrows. "Oh. That's _interesting_. Where to?"

Spencer bit her lip, trying to hold back her smile. "Out with a friend."

"Any chance that _friend_ is your ex-boyfriend Toby?" Hazel tilted her head to the side.

"I can't talk too much, or I might be late," Spencer cut the conversation short. "I'll see you soon."

"Yeah, when? Tomorrow? After you bang him?"

Ignoring the comment, Spencer left her dorm room. She was actually excited about this night.


	3. Chapter 3

3

Hanna

It was the evening after Hanna had went for an interview with Jordan's boss. She had gone to her regularly-scheduled classes, then picked Jordan up after work, and both of them drove to their place. Once back, Hanna got straight into watching TV with a huge bowl of popcorn to take her mind off of how nervous she was about the results of the interview.

"Hey, love," Jordan greeted, stepping out of the bathroom after his shower. Fresh and clean, he took a seat next to Hanna on the couch, putting his arm around her. "What're you watching?"

"I've been binging _Gilmore Girls_ ," Hanna answered, laughing quietly. She turned her head, and saw that Jordan was no longer paying attention to her, but instead his phone.

Hanna raised her eyebrows. He usually wasn't this type of guy. He was polite and always listened to everything she said. Therefore, she was rather shocked to see that he went on his phone right when they started talking.

" _Jordan_ ," she said sternly, trying to get his attention back.

He shook his head apologetically. Hanna was offended by the huge grin on his face, as if ignoring her was _funny_.

"What is your problem?" Hanna demanded.

"Sorry, love," he chuckled again. "Just as we started talking, I received an e-mail from my boss Alexander, and I had to check it right away." Hanna just sat there, waiting for him to further elaborate. "Well… good news. He made a fast decision. You got the job! He's interested in your work!"

Hanna's jaw practically fell off of her face.

" _Oh my God_!" she exclaimed, jumping off of the couch instantly. "This is amazing! He actually liked my work enough? I was so afraid that he liked me as a person, but didn't like my designs!"

Jordan stood up with her, grinning.

"This really is amazing. He's never made a decision quite so fast like that. You must've really impressed him with your work," Jordan explained.

"I love you so much, you know that?" Hanna laughed.

"Why? Because I got you an interview with my boss?" Jordan joked.

"Well, that, too… but it's just you, Jordan. Everything about you," Hanna said, putting her hands on her boyfriend's cheeks. "You're _perfect_ , and I love you so much. I just wanted you to know that, because I feel like I don't tell you how much I appreciate you being in my life enough. I just… I really, really love you."

He smiled at her sincerely. His heart had been warmed by her words, feeling a sense of validation from her expression. He leaned in closer, pressing their lips together. She kissed back, and it was chaste and loving… it wasn't anything more. It was just her pure content feeling with life. Everything was in place. She was on her way to an amazing job, and most of all: she had found her very own Prince Charming.

Everyone always told her that these "fairytale men" just simply don't exist. And to an extent, Hanna believed them. She believed that there was no such thing as a perfect man. But then, she ended up meeting Jordan Hobart by chance, and everything change. The small speck of hope that she had that these fairytale men really did exist turned out right. He was almost _too_ perfect to be true. They never fought about anything, he always listened to her, he was so in love with her, he treated her like a queen… not to mention, he himself was extremely handsome, intelligent, and kind.

"This calls for celebratory champagne, doesn't it?" Jordan grinned.

Hanna laughed quietly, nodding her head.

"Yeah, I think it's a good enough occasion," she agreed.

Still grinning, Jordan walked away from her and into the kitchen to grab a bottle of champagne for them to pop open. Sighing happily, Hanna seated herself back down on the couch, unable to wipe the smile off of her face. Everything really was falling into place, for once. She never thought she would be able to accomplish much in life, but life seemed to have a funny way of working itself out in the end.

Aria

Aria never meant to fall back into such an old bad habit…

But after her conversation with Ezra, or _Professor Fitz_ , her mind was clouded. She couldn't focus on studying, at least not right now. Instead, she found herself stalking her ex-boyfriend, who was now her English professor, online. She had gotten herself away from this habit a long time ago, way back when they broke up the final time. She had forced herself to stop stalking him online, figuring that quitting her obsession with him would be her only way of having a chance of moving on from him.

And she was right, because once she quit the bad habit, she was able to move forward. She started focusing on school more, and although he crossed her mind every now and then, she had generally stopped thinking about him overall. Getting him off of her mind allowed her to find the courage to get back into the dating world. She hadn't had a particularly _serious_ relationship, but it was more just because she hadn't really found a guy that stuck around. But she had fun with dating. She met nice guys, went out to dinner with them, had fun seeing them…

She had been seeing this one guy for about a month before she contemplated if she should start having sex again. She hadn't had sex with anyone since Ezra at that point, so it was a big step forward. If she did it with him, it essentially meant that she was _actually_ moving away from her relationship with Ezra. And, she did it. She took a chance and had sex for the first time since her previous relationship. Although she and the guy didn't last _much_ longer, she had a good time with him, and didn't regret seeing him. He was essentially the reason she was able to actually put Ezra in the past.

But clearly, she didn't _actually_ put Ezra in the past, since seeing him again caused her to start stalking him online again.

She searched all of his social media, trying to find photos of his _girlfriend_. Maybe she got annoyed because he told her that he had a girlfriend. She still wanted to know if that girl was Nicole Gordon, and she got her answer when she stalked his social media accounts. _It was_.

She didn't know why she was surprised or hurt at all. Nicole and Ezra had hit it off back when he was simply discussing the idea of Habitats for Humanity with her. They connected well, and Aria was jealous at the time. She could only imagine that after all the time alone they spent together, it developed into something more than a friendship. Her suspicions were confirmed by Ezra's constant posts with Nicole.

She groaned at the multitude of photos, and finally decided to slam her laptop shut. Glancing over at the clock, she realized that she had gotten so engaged in stalking him that she had forgotten about her _interview_ for this writing internship that she had applied to. They were interested after seeing her application, and invited her in for a more formal interview. Panicking, she hopped up from her bed. Quickly adjusting her hair and clothes, she rushed out the door and drove herself over to the building.

She stepped inside of the bustling publishing company building. She smiled, imagining herself here in the future. Oh, how she'd love a job like this… She felt genuinely lucky that she had found something in her life that she was so passionate about. Most people didn't have the opportunity to find a passion like this. Some were jobless, and some ended up doing something that wasn't in the best interest of their heart. Aria had pursued the one subject that was closest to her heart, and she couldn't have been happier about that decision.

She hurried up to the front desk, where a glowing lady smiled at her.

"Hi! How can I help you?" she asked.

"Hi," Aria greeted back, offering an equivalent smile. "My name is Aria Montgomery. I was, uh, invited here for an interview for the writing internship. I submitted my application earlier, and they said that they'd like to conduct a formal interview before deciding anything further."

The lady nodded her head. "I have you down on the list, Miss Montgomery. Excellent! I'll show you to where you can wait right now. Mr. Harvey is running a little bit late in a meeting right now."

"Okay, that's fine," Aria nodded her head back.

She followed the lady to the supposed "waiting room" outside of Mr. Harvey's office.

"Let me know if you need anything else, Miss Montgomery," the lady said.

"Of course."

Once the lady left her presence, Aria took a seat on one of the chairs in the room. While she was waiting, a young man entered. He was wearing glasses, a button-up shirt, and light brown dress pants (which looked even fancier with his expensive belt). He refilled his cup of coffee using the machine that was on the nearby table. Aria watched him carefully.

He took a sip of his refilled coffee, and then turned around to look at her.

Pulling the coffee away from his mouth, he asked, "You applying?"

Aria shrugged her shoulders. "Just for an internship."

He nodded his head, chuckling quietly. "Yeah, I did an internship here, too. I graduated from college last year, and they employed me straight away after that. It was a good decision to do my internship here."

"That's reassuring," Aria smiled. "I really hope I get this, whether they're going to employ me after college or not, though. I could really use the experience. It seems like a great opportunity to learn."

He smiled back at her. And to her surprise, he took a seat down on the chair next to her.

"So, you're a college student then, huh? Where do you go?" he asked.

"Hollis College," she answered proudly.

"That's amazing," he nodded his head. "I went there, too. It's a wonderful school. I learned a lot."

"I'm learn _ing_ a lot," she laughed.

"Well, I hope you get it," he told her. "I wouldn't mind seeing you around here everyday at all. And you look like you'd make a great asset to the team."

She blushed. "Thanks… I guess."

"You _guess_?" he chuckled. "That was a compliment, you know. _Two_ compliments, actually. One about getting to see you everyday, and one about how good you'd probably be for this company."

She raised her eyebrows. "You don't even know me. I don't even know your name! You don't even know _my_ name!"

"That can be fixed. I'm Liam," he introduced himself. "Liam Greene." He stuck his hand out for her to shake.

Although hesitant, she introduced herself back. "Aria Montgomery. It's a pleasure to meet you, _Liam Greene_."

Smiling at him, she reached over as well to take his hand and shake it briefly. The two of them smiled at each other for quite a few moments, but it was unfortunately broken by the door opening. A buff man entered the hallway, charging towards the office.

"What are you socializing for right now, Mister Greene?" the man, who was supposedly Mr. Harvey, demanded, raising his eyebrows judgmentally. "Don't you have a lot of work that needs to be done?"

"Yes, sir… I'm on it," Liam replied, standing up from the chair. "Good luck on your interview, Aria."

Liam hurried out the door, leaving Aria there with Mr. Harvey. He was a rather intimidating figure, at least from the way that he had yelled at Liam. Aria supposed it was truly just because Liam was not on task, since Mr. Harvey had been rather kind-sounding in his e-mails so far. She smiled at him, trying to keep the mood as light as possible. Luckily, Mr. Harvey smiled at her, so that angry look that he had while talking to Liam was gone.

"I'll assume you're Miss Aria Montgomery, one of our excellent applicants for the writing internship?" Mr. Harvey asked.

"Thank you, sir…" she smiled.

"Right this way into my office, Miss Montgomery," Mr. Harvey told her, opening his office door.

Aria stood up from her chair, following him inside. And briefly, the previous image of a very surprised Liam Greene getting scolded by his boss flashed into Aria's mind, making her laugh quietly. She, too, liked the idea of getting to work with him. He seemed like a pretty nice guy.

Spencer

"Don't tell me you asked me out for drinks just to talk, now…"

Toby raised his eyebrows. "What's that supposed to imply, Spencer?"

She tilted her head to the side, giving him a look like it was absolutely obvious. In her raspy, seductive voice, she continued, "Don't tell me you just want to sit here and talk about all of our _feelings_ … and how we _shouldn't have broken up_ , and how _we should try again_."

"And what if I do?" he raised his eyebrows.

"Those are some complicated waters that you'd be getting into, Mister Cavanaugh," she said flirtatiously.

He laughed quietly, shaking his head. He tapped his fingernails against the glass of wine in front of him, trying to analyze what she was thinking. It was obvious, but she still felt so hard to read. He knew her so well, but she was always a challenge. He loved that about her, though. She never made it easy for him.

"Why don't you tell me what you want here, Spencer?" he raised his eyebrows.

" _I_ should?" she asked, slightly surprised. "If I'm recalling it correctly, _you're_ the one who came into D.C. to see me, and _you're_ the one who asked me out tonight."

"Well, you wouldn't be here if you didn't want to be. You never do anything without a good reason for it," he said.

"Fair enough," she smirked. She scooted her chair closer to his. "Look, Toby, nothing is a sure thing, and if you want to revisit something complicated, we can talk about that. But I was thinking that we could make this easier on the both of us and maybe make the mistake that I think the both of us _want_ to make. If you want to… are you following me?"

"Don't you think that there'll be… _repercussions_?" he asked, trying to be practical, but was well-aware of the fact that he wanted this badly.

"There are _always_ repercussions to our actions. But this doesn't have to be complicated if we make it… _not_ complicated," she told him, raising her eyebrows. "I don't think there's anything wrong with this, if we both are fine with it. You _are_ fine with it, right?"

He pressed his lips together. "You know I want you, Spencer… you know I'll _always_ want you… in any way."

"Then, I think we're at least _somewhere_ near the same page here," she told him, biting her lip.

"My hotel room's not too far from here," he pointed out.

"Perfect," she laughed quietly. "There's no way that we could go back to my dorm room. My roommate Hazel is there, and she's chewing my ass off with these invasive questions. I love her, but I need some space. She wouldn't let this slide."

"Won't she notice that you're gone?" he chuckled.

"We can deal with that later…" she said.

Spencer reached over, touching his arm gently, stroking her fingertips across his skin. He knew that he couldn't say no… not to this, not to her… never. He would have liked to have conversations about a solid future together, but that night had a totally different dynamic than usual. He was thinking too much about sex with her. He had been turned on by their mere text conversations, and she would say the same thing. They had both been thinking about sex all night.

"I'll write you the address of the hotel," Toby told her in a quiet, discreet voice. "Drive over there, and meet me in the room number that I write down, okay? You'll be there, right?"

"Of course," she nodded her head.

Smiling, she leaned over and pressed her lips against his. It was brief, but just a quick taste of what was to come that night. He hated it when it ended. The only thing that was keeping him going was knowing that she would be with him in his hotel room very soon, and that this wasn't the last of feeling her close to him. But still, he hated being apart from her. He just got her back, and it felt like she was being ripped away so quickly. He couldn't _wait_ to have her the way he used to.

They went their separate ways. Toby arrived first, and waited in his hotel room anxiously until she arrived. She knocked on the door quietly. Immediately, he knew that it was her. Licking his lips, he stood up and hurried to the door, opening it. As soon as it opened, he grabbed her roughly and slammed his lips against her. He couldn't wait for her any longer. He needed her. It had been too long since he had her.

He kicked the door shut, not breaking their lips apart. He moved them back towards the hotel bed, but didn't push her down on it just yet. He started trailing kisses down her neck. Both of their hearts were racing. They were close to each other again… it was a familiar yet pleasurable sensation that was running through their bodies. He turned her around roughly, unzipping her dress, and letting it fall for the floor.

She turned around, pushing her lips against his again, kissing him fiercely. She only stopped to unbutton Toby's shirt. Eagerly, she pulled each button out, and then pushed it off of his shoulders, letting it fall to the floor and join her dress which had just fallen.

Finally, he pushed her down onto the bed, climbing on top of her, and continuing to kiss her aggressively. As they moved further back on the bed towards the pillows, he pulled away, gazing into her eyes. He knew damn well that this wasn't just sex to him, but he was going to let it be… at least for now. They could deal with everything else later. All that mattered was that she was with him again, at least for the night.

" _Toby_ ," she breathed, closing her eyes. "Don't stop…"

He gripped her shoulders.

"Are you sure you want this?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Yes, of course… I suggested it," she answered. "Are _you_ sure?"

He tilted his head to the side. "I'm always sure about you."

She smiled at him, and they closed the distance between their mouths again, resuming.

Emily

It was getting rather late now, and Emily had just given up on studying entirely, at least for tonight. Studying was no fun, although she promised herself that she would try and pick it up later. Lexi raised her eyebrows, clearly noticing that the supposed "intense studying" had ceased a while ago now.

"Still studying?" Lexi asked, just wanting to see if Emily lied to her.

"No, and I know what you're trying to do," Emily rolled her eyes. "I was actually looking online for apartments that we can get nearby. Ones with good transportation back to campus…"

"Really?" Lexi's eyes lit up. "I'm excited to move out. Send me links to any apartments that you really like!"

"Will do," Emily nodded her head, and continued scrolling down the website for the best-looking, yet still reasonably-priced, apartments that she could find.

While she was searching, her phone started ringing, reminding her of how Paige had called earlier. She groaned, reaching over, expecting to see Paige's caller ID written there. But instead, it was _Jennifer_. She wasn't even sure why she had gotten and added Jennifer's contact information. She wished she hadn't, because now apparently Jennifer thought that it was something more than a one-night-stand.

"Is it Paige again?" Lexi asked, looking up eagerly. "You can't say that you're ignoring it for studying anymore because you stopped!"

"I know," Emily rolled her eyes. "It's not Paige, anyways… it's… uh, it's the girl that I hooked up with the other night after the party."

Lexi raised her eyebrows. " _Oh_."

Emily groaned. "I can hear the judgment in your voice, Lexi."

"I'm not judging!" Lexi protested. "I'm just wondering if you'll ever want to go back to having a serious relationship. You know, Paige was pretty serious about you. I remember her well."

"It doesn't matter," Emily said. She pressed the decline button on her phone, and then tossed it across the bed. "It might've been a good thing, but I just didn't want it anymore. I know that nothing's _perfect_ , but I just… I didn't have the strong feelings that I wanted to. It didn't feel right."

"A girl who loved you and treated you right didn't feel right to you?" Lexi questioned.

"Okay, now you're _seriously_ judging," Emily rolled her eyes. "I know you don't get it. You're not me, and you haven't been in the same situation."

Lexi wanted to be sympathetic, but it was true. She didn't see why Emily was so opposed to the idea of being with Paige. They seemed to have a relatively good time together, Paige loved her, and she never wanted things to be complicated. Lexi decided that it was just something that wasn't about anything other than the fact that Emily didn't feel a connection with her anymore, and she understood _that_. Sometimes, people just got into relationships where there wasn't a strong connection.

"I don't want to sound too weird, but when did you know that you're… gay?" Lexi asked curiously.

Emily laughed quietly. "Are you questioning your sexuality or something, Lex?"

Lexi rolled her eyes. "No. Trust me, I'm into guys. But I feel like I've known you for a long time now, and I still don't know much about you. At least not your past… you never really talk about your past."

Emily pressed her lips together.

"Yeah, well I try to repress most of those memories…" she sighed. "I had good moments and all, but there were some really terrible things that happened to me back then. I try not to think about them too much. But I guess I can answer your question about when I knew that I'm gay. It's not _abundantly_ clear, but I have an idea of when I really started to realize that I'm interested in girls." Emily felt vulnerable. She was opening up to Lexi about her past for the first time. And this was a complicated story that she was getting into. Lexi looked so interested. Her eyes were wide with curiosity, engaged in every word that Emily was saying, and Emily loved her for that. She really cared.

She continued, "I was… best friends with this girl. We were in this circle of friends. She was this really beautiful girl. I spent a lot of time with her, and I was always the one who was the closest to her. And it's not much of a shock, but… I fell in love with her. She wasn't the nicest person back then, but I still loved her."

"Did she love you, too?" Lexi asked.

"As a friend? Of course," Emily laughed sadly. "As more than that? I don't know. I'd like to think there was something between us, but she was a hard girl to read. She was really good at hiding her feelings. She knew how to make me think it was one-sided. Our history is complicated…"

Lexi looked even more engaged in the story than she had been when it first started. "You can't stop there! You have to tell me more, Em!"

Emily tilted her head to the side, laughing sadly again. "This love story clearly doesn't have a happy ending, you know."

"Well, this isn't the end," Lexi grinned. "Did you ever tell her how you felt?"

"Not exactly, but I think she knew exactly how I felt," Emily explained. "She used it against me sometimes, but that was when we were younger. She grew up. She changed."

"You're so vague!" Lexi cried. " _Details_ , please."

Emily scrunched her nose. "I don't like talking about this. It makes me think too much of _that_ time."

"Come on! She knew how you felt, but she never did anything about it?" Lexi asked. "I was hoping it wasn't one-sided…"

"Maybe it was," Emily shrugged her shoulders. "The story's just too long to tell. I told you: it's complicated."

"Well, I can handle complicated… plus, we have plenty of time, so I can handle a long story, too," Lexi encouraged with pleading eyes.

Hesitantly, Emily revealed, "We kissed… a few times. And she was gone for a while after that. I believed that she never cared about me. Then, she came back, and things were different. I don't know if she was using me for support, but we… kinda… _you know_."

Lexi raised her eyebrows. "I know?"

Emily tilted her head to the side, telling her that this was obvious.

" _Oh_!" Lexi cried, surprised. "Wow! I thought you said it probably wasn't mutual. Why would she do _that_ if she didn't have feelings for you? Kissing, maybe… but _that_ is a different story, Emily."

Emily shrugged her shoulders. "She was willing to go to great lengths to get what she wanted. Plus, she doesn't date girls. As I know of right now, she's as straight as can be, and has only ever been with men. We were a thing way back when, and it's all done now."

"Do you still talk to her?" Lexi asked curiously.

"Not really," she responded. "We never really discussed what we were. And if we did, it was always a very short conversation that never gave me a real clue of what was between us. We clearly had some communication issues. Plus, I wasn't looking to get my heart broken by her again for the millionth time. So, yeah… I tried to move on from that, and here we are now!"

"I'm sorry that things didn't work out the way that you wanted them to," Lexi told her.

"Don't be sorry," Emily laughed, shaking her head. "It's not your fault. Besides, I don't think we ever would have worked as anything more than what we were, anyways. I loved _her_ , but I'm not sure if love would be enough. It takes a lot more than loving somebody to make a relationship work. She'll always be special to me, though. She was the first step that I took to figure out my feelings."

Lexi nodded her head. "She probably didn't deserve you, anyways."

"It's not her fault if she just isn't into girls like that," Emily shrugged her shoulders. "Yeah, she hurt me a lot in the past, but I think I've forgiven her for it. When I left for college, we were on good terms again. We didn't talk about what happened between us, but we were definitely friends. I mean… part of me will _always_ love her, of course, but… life is what it is, right?"

Lexi nodded her head again. While she was staring at Emily and trying to analyze how her roommate _truly_ felt about this whole situation, there was a knock at the door. Lexi hopped off of her bed.

"I'll get it," she announced, stepping towards the door, as Emily watched her. She diverted her attention back to her laptop, continuing her scrolling for nearby apartments to lease.

She opened the door, giving a clear view of the person who was outside.

"Hi…" a faint voice greeted, sounding extremely nervous. Lexi furrowed her eyebrows. She didn't recognize the young woman. "I'm looking for Emily Fields."

Emily's head shot up when she heard her name quietly said. Her eyes widened when she saw who was at the doorway. Her lips were glued shut, unable to think or speak. It was like her brain couldn't process the fact that _she_ was there, in her doorway, right now. She swallowed hard, trying to force her mouth open, but she didn't have the strength to do so. All she could do was stare at her, standing there and looking even more beautiful than usual. She truly was a radiant woman.

"Uh…" Lexi stumbled. "I'm her roommate… Lexi. She's right in here." Lexi turned around to face her roommate. "Hey, Em. There's somebody here to see you, if you didn't already know."

Lexi opened the door wider.

"Hi, Emily."

Finally, Emily forced herself to respond.

"Hi, Alison."


	4. Chapter 4

4

Emily - Alison

Emily slammed her laptop shut, standing up from her bed, still unable to believe the sight in front of her. She didn't know why she was so shocked to see her there. She knew that Alison DiLaurentis still _existed_. It was just… she hadn't really existed in _Emily's_ life for quite some time now. Maybe it was the fact that she had come here all the way from Rosewood, Pennsylvania… and that Emily hadn't been expecting to see her again. She wasn't sure if she'd _ever_ see her again, until they were dragged back into the same place for a wedding or a funeral of someone they both knew.

"Ali, what are you doing here?" Emily asked, not wanting to sound harsh. She genuinely wanted to know _why the hell_ she was here. Didn't she have a grand old life back in Rosewood? There was no reason for her to come to California. The only thing in Malibu for her was Emily, and that scared the hell out of Emily. It was unbelievable to think that Alison came all the way out here for her.

"I wanted to see you," Alison confessed. "Can I come inside?"

Emily nodded her head weakly. Lexi stepped to the side, giving them room. She eyed the situation. She had no idea who this girl was. She didn't know that _she_ was the one who Emily had been describing to her in those stories about her first love from high school.

"Um…" Emily stumbled. Her mouth was moving, but nothing was coming out. She didn't _know_ what to say to her. The timing was just _too_ coincidental to be a coincidence. She had just been rehashing all her old feelings for Alison, and now she was right there, in front of her eyes. It was all too uncanny. She turned her attention to Lexi, deciding that it was easier. "Lex, this is my… friend Alison DiLaurentis. We were good friends back in high school… and all."

Lexi nodded her head. She found it unsettling as well, but for different reasons. She didn't understand the dynamic, and she wasn't putting the puzzle pieces together that _Alison_ was the girl who Emily was describing just a moment ago. They didn't _seem_ to be very friendly. It wasn't uncivil or anything, but it just wasn't the way one would greet an old friend from high school… at least not one who he or she _actually liked_.

"Okay, I'll, um… I'll give you two a moment to catch up and talk, I guess. I wanted to shower tonight, anyway," Lexi dismissed herself. She grabbed a towel from her pile of completed laundry, and dashed out the door to exit the uncomfortable scene of tension.

Emily focused back on Alison.

"How long've you been here?" Emily asked curiously.

"I just got here," the blonde responded, trying to offer her a sincere smile to lower the tension. "I came here straight from the airport. It took me a while… I had to ask around to find out which room you're in."

"Oh," Emily nodded her head. "I'm sorry. I would've let you know, but… you… you didn't call, did you? Or did I just miss it?"

It didn't come off in an accusing tone, but Alison still felt accused when she said that. She felt like she was being invasive, as if that was Emily's way of saying that she didn't get an invite to come here, and that she certainly wasn't welcome. Honestly, she was worried that this trip was going to go nowhere, with no sort of reconciliation, and she would take a flight back to Pennsylvania to begin her same, boring life over again. Maybe she could go on a simple date with Elliott Rollins, finally finding that boring stability that she had been craving for whatever reason.

"No. You're right. I didn't call," Alison told her. "I thought I could surprise you, I guess."

Emily laughed, but it was almost bitter. "You've always been good at surprising me."

Alison pressed her lips together. "I thought you'd want to see me… I mean, I know I want to see you."

Emily tilted her head to the side, feeling even more bitter now. "What is it this time, Ali? There's always _something_ that you want. You never do anything without an ulterior motive, it seems. So, I'm sorry if I'm finding it hard to believe that you just came here to see me because you miss me."

Offended, Alison said, "I don't _want_ anything. All I really wanted was to see you again. Why's that so hard to believe, Emily?"

"Come _on_!" Emily laughed as if it were ridiculous. "We have barely talked in like three years, Alison! What in the world would make you suddenly miss me so much that you'd take a flight over to California to see me?"

Alison felt her heart breaking. A part of her had believed that Emily would actually be happy to see her, and that she wanted her in California. But it seemed too good to be true now. They may have went their separate ways on a calm note, but Alison never really undid all her harm, did she? She thought that Emily had forgiven her… maybe.

Emily knew her words were stinging Alison by the look on her face and the lack of words coming out of her mouth after that accusation. Her face suddenly softened, feeling guilty for lashing out venomously like that. Maybe she _was_ being too hard on Alison. Sure, they hadn't talked in a while, but there was no bad blood left between them. Everything was said and done, and it was left in the past. Perhaps there was hope for a better, healthier friendship between them. She wished she hadn't yelled at her like that now.

"I'm sorry," Emily hurriedly said, hoping to speak before Alison could say anything in response. "I'm just… really confused by this. It's not that I don't want you here, because I _do_ want you here. I mean, _of course_ I want you here. I'm happy that you're here. But… I don't get _why_."

Alison understood, at least a little bit. Her trip _was_ out of the blue.

"There's no ulterior motive, okay?" Alison assured her. She smiled again, stepping closer so that she could touch Emily's arm gently. "I mean it, too. I was thinking about my life now, and it made me think about my old life… and then I thought about you. And I can't explain it, but I wanted to see you again, so I made an impulsive decision to buy a plane ticket to California. It's crazy, and probably super hard to believe from somebody who's got lying in her DNA, but this isn't a lie. I don't want to have to lie to you ever again. Not after everything we've been through together… I learned my lesson."

Her words were starting to break through Emily's walls. Her guard was slowly coming down. When Alison spoke like that, it was convincing as hell, and she couldn't help but believe her. She was hesitant, of course, but she believed it. And she was happy to hear her saying something like that; it was reassuring.

"Okay," Emily nodded her head.

She didn't feel such a distance between them anymore. It was as if the ice had started melting away, because Emily found the courage to step closer to her and pull her in for a long hug. It was warm and familiar, and Emily felt like her life had been missing that kind of warmth for so long now. She wrapped her arms completely around Alison in the hug, letting them move into her soft blonde hair, clutching onto it tightly, not wanting to let go. She felt connected with the good part of her past again.

"Do you have a place to stay?" Emily asked, pulling back from the hug.

"Yeah," she nodded her head. "I booked a hotel room a few blocks from here. It's not too far."

"My dorm room's too small for three, I think," Emily joked lightheartedly. "But I can drop you off to your hotel, if you want. It's getting late, so I should probably sleep afterwards, but… maybe we could do something together tomorrow?"

Alison smiled at her suggestion. She nodded her head again. "Yeah, I'd like that… both of those things."

"Okay," Emily said. "I'll get my car keys."

Spencer

The next morning, Spencer found herself exactly where she knew she was. Luckily, she wasn't too drunk to remember her night, and she also didn't regret it. Well, she was wary of the repercussions of her actions, especially if Hazel's big mouth let the news slip to Bryan, but she didn't regret _it_. It felt good, and it felt comfortable. Spencer didn't see why she couldn't do something that made her feel good, at least just for one night.

Her eyes opened to the close sight of Toby's chest, rising and falling as he breathed in his sleep. A smile curled onto her lips, finding the sight of him sleeping to be adorably satisfying. Her whole self was snuggled into his side, with her arms wrapped around his naked body. She pulled herself up, forcing herself away from him. She pushed the white sheets off of her body, and bent over to the floor to pick some clothes up.

But there was no way that she was going to put that uncomfortable dress back on. She grabbed Toby's button-up shirt, sliding it onto her body and buttoning it up about three fourths of the way. Next, she grabbed her panties from the floor, sliding them up her legs. All her movements weren't as subtle as she thought, because the noise caused a groggy Toby to force himself up. He yawned quietly, rubbed his eyes, and sat up on the bed. He turned his head, looking at Spencer, who was rapidly trying to dress herself. She bit her lip when she realized that he was looking at her, and stopped what she was doing.

"Hey," she greeted, her morning voice being even raspier than usual. "Good morning."

"Morning," he smiled. "Were you dashing on me? In _that_?"

She laughed quietly. "Well, what am I supposed to do? Put that tight dress back on? You know I've always loved stealing your shirts…"

"I don't mind it at all," he grinned. " _But_ , I wouldn't believe that you'd go back on campus looking like that. I thought you were overly-mindful of your professional reputation there."

"Ha-ha," Spencer said sarcastically. "This shirt's a little too obvious. You can give me a better one."

Toby grinned back at her. "Oh, I know the perfect one to give you, Spencer."

He turned to the other side, sliding off of the bed and quickly sliding his boxers on. Spencer enjoyed the view of his muscular backside walking towards his suitcase. She sat down on the bed, biting her lip. He reached into his suitcase, pulling out a baby blue shirt. He turned around and tossed it to Spencer. Once she caught it, she unfolded it, furrowing her eyebrows. She pressed her lips together when she saw it.

"Toby…" she muttered.

"Nostalgic?" he chuckled. "You gave it back to me after we broke up, but I figured you should keep it anyway. You always looked better in it than I did, you know."

She ran her fingertips across the soft fabric of the long-sleeved shirt. It was _that_ one— the baby blue one with the dark anchor in the corner; it was the one that she had worn and stolen after they kissed for the very first time. It was _that_ shirt, way back from junior year in high school, and way back from the beginning of their relationship.

"I loved this shirt…" she said softly. She turned around, facing the opposite direction, and unbuttoned the button-up shirt that she was wearing. She pulled it off, dropping it on the floor, and instead slid the anchor shirt onto her body. She furrowed her eyebrows. "I'm still going to need some pants…"

"I don't think I have any jeans that'd fit you," he chuckled, scratching his head. "Would you wear pajama pants?"

"Better than nothing," she shrugged. As he bent down to pull pajama pants out of his suitcase, Spencer was wondering if this was too much for her. She didn't need to be stealing Toby's clothes, making a bigger mess out of everything. She would just be _asking_ for problems to occur. She knew Hazel would be nosier than ever if she came back wearing a man's clothes. She would already be nosy about the fact that Spencer didn't return to their dorm room the previous night, after confessing that she was going out with Toby, too. It wasn't like Hazel _didn't_ know what was going on.

But everything would be even more complicated. People would see her doing a walk of shame as she returned to campus, and Spencer wouldn't give that much of a damn normally, but it was different this time. It was different because the word might have ended up getting around to Bryan, and there would be nothing but discussions and confrontations after _that_.

"Um, Toby… I changed my mind. Don't give me your pajama pants," she told him. "In fact, you can keep the shirt, too. I… I don't think it's a good idea to go back on campus looking like this. I might as well just fix my hair and put my dress back on."

"Oh, okay," he nodded his head, slightly disappointed. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah," she said. "I'll go change into the dress in the bathroom. I'll give you your shirt back after."

He shook his head. "No, I meant it… you should keep it, Spencer. I meant it when I said that you look better in it than I do."

She tilted her head to the side. "It's your shirt, Toby."

"Come on… you know it became more of your shirt than mine in the past," he chuckled sadly. "It wouldn't feel right keeping it. In fact, it _hasn't_ felt right keeping it. To me, it feels like it belongs to you now."

"Okay," she smiled. "I… I guess I can keep it. I mean, it's a really comfortable shirt. It would make for some good sleepwear."

"Okay," he chuckled back.

Hanna

"We'll be done here before my class starts, right?" Hanna asked.

Jordan nodded his head. "You'll be out of here real quick. Alexander just wants to quickly meet with you now that he's made his decision. I'm sure he just wants to go over the logistics and all."

Hanna smiled before stepping closer to Alexander's office door and knocking on it. Alexander looked back and saw that it was her, offering her a smile before putting down the phone. He adjusted his suit, got up from his seat, and walked towards the office door to open it.

"Hanna Marin!" Alexander exclaimed, clapping his hands together. " _Welcome_! I'm assuming that you've heard that I made my decision, or you wouldn't be here right now." He chuckled softly. "Jordan told me that you have class soon, so I promise that this will be very quick. I thought you could meet with some of the team members that I've assigned for your projects." He gestured for her to walk out of his office, and followed behind. Once they were out in the hallway, he continued, "I've called for a meeting in the conference room. Come on."

Jordan, who had been waiting outside of the office, waved to her. "Go on, love. I should attend to my work, but I'm extremely excited for you."

Hanna smiled at him, and then turned around to follow Alexander to the conference room. When he opened the door, she couldn't contain her excitement. Her smile widened immensely— all these people had organized in here for _her_. They were meeting for _her_. They were a part of her team!

"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen!" Alexander exclaimed as they entered. The chatter immediately began simmering down. "I'd like you all to give our newest designer _Hanna Marin_ a warm welcome."

The team in the room began clapping for her. She started blushing. She really didn't feel like she was going to be a failure anymore. It was just a huge spark of hope for her.

"Hanna, first we have _Claudia_ and _Samantha_ ; they're our design team, and will be working with you to bring your sketches and designs to life," Alexander announced. "The rest of them are other members of your team. We've got publicity managers, marketing managers… everything you need will be sorted. I'll also work on finding and interviewing an assistant for you. We can round up an intern really quickly."

Alexander scanned the room, growing frustrated. "Guys, where the hell is our IT man? I didn't go out of my way to hire a new IT man if he's not even going to show up to his first meeting!"

"I'll call him right now, boss—" someone began.

Before the person could finish their sentence, the conference room's door opened, and the supposed IT officer entered.

" _There_ you are," Alexander shook his head, annoyed. "From now on, don't be late, okay? It's your _first_ meeting, too."

"Sorry, boss… I had a little trouble finding the coffee machine. I had to ask around."

Hanna's eyes widened. She turned around to see the IT officer, and it confirmed her suspicions: it was _Caleb Rivers_. Caleb's eyes widened when he saw her as well, and they were locked on each other.

"Fine, whatever, Mister Rivers," Alexander rolled his eyes. "Hanna, darling, this is our IT officer: Caleb Rivers. He will be handling the creation of your website, managing all your technology-related mechanics. He's a very intelligent man."

"It seems so…" Hanna muttered quietly. "Nice to meet you, Mister Rivers."

"Uh…" Caleb swallowed hard. "You, too."

Hanna felt her heart racing. She couldn't believe he was back in her life. After they broke up, he had went off to Europe for traveling. She knew he would be back eventually, but for some reason, she just expected to never see him again— especially not working at the same company as her. She knew he was still in New York, but it was still surprising to her. Out of all the technology jobs he could have gotten in New York, he ended up at _this_ company? A _fashion_ company?

The meeting went on as scheduled. Hanna tried to keep a huge smile on her face the whole time, but the fact that Caleb was in the same room as her just made her feel _off_. She lost her focus. She tried to respond to everyone who talked to her with as much attention as possible, but she caught her gaze shifting to Caleb numerous times. Once the meeting was over, everybody disbanded from the conference room, but Hanna kept sitting there. And Caleb was on his way out of the room, but stopped at the doorway. He shut the door behind him.

"I wanted to let you know that I'm just as surprised as you are."

Hanna furrowed her eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

He sighed. "I didn't come here to stir up trouble. I got back from Europe, and I found a job that wasn't too good. They weren't paying me well, so I left it. And then I recently found out that this place was looking for an IT officer, so I applied for it. I honestly had no idea that you were working here, too."

"I never said you knew," Hanna said.

"Well, I wanted to address it," he said, shoving his hands in his pockets. "I'm not here to mess with you or mess your life up. I promise, I'm just going to do my job."

"Really, Caleb… I said nothing about this," Hanna told him, standing up from her seat. "We both have important jobs to do here, and I'm sure we're going to do them without issues. I wasn't worried." She started walking towards the door, where he was standing. "If you'll excuse me, I should go say goodbye to my _boyfriend_ before I head off to my class."

Caleb furrowed his eyebrows, facing the glassy window as Hanna brushed past him and into the hallway. He knew that she emphasized the boyfriend part so that he would hear it loud and clear, and have no chance of missing it. He shook his head to himself, leaning against the wall behind him.

Aria

"Want to quickly grab a coffee at the Brew before we head off to English class?" Kendall suggested as the two girls were walking down a street in Rosewood.

Aria nodded her head. "Sure. I could use a caffeine boost before I have to go through another headache of a class."

Kendall laughed quietly, and the girls walked inside of the Brew.

"I thought you _loved_ English?" Kendall questioned. The girls joined the short line of customers waiting to buy their drinks. "Since when did it become your headache class?"

"Of course I love the subject of English… but that doesn't mean the class isn't a headache. Honestly, any college class is a headache. I don't know about you, but the constant papers, readings, and exams seem to give me a headache," Aria joked.

"But you've never complained before. I was just wondering if it's about that _new professor_ ," Kendall wiggled her eyebrows. "I mean, come on! You've been so weird about him."

Aria shrugged her shoulders. "I have no problem with him… I don't get what you're implying. He was my high school English teacher. It's really nothing. We were just surprised to see each other again."

Luckily, before Kendall could say anything else, they were up to order their drinks.

"Hi! Can I get a small-sized long macchiato?" Aria ordered. She reached into her purse and handed the barista a five dollar bill, then received her respective change.

After Kendall ordered her drink, the two girls waited for them to be prepared. They picked their drinks up from the counter, and headed towards the door of the Brew. Just as they were about to walk out, somebody else walked in: _Liam Greene_. He grinned when he saw Aria standing there.

"Aria Montgomery!" he exclaimed. "No way! Funny seeing you here after yesterday, huh?"

Kendall raised her eyebrows, trying to understand the situation.

"Oh, hi… Liam," Aria smiled. "I was just about to head to class, actually."

"Nice," Liam nodded his head. "You sure you don't wanna just stay here and drink your coffee? Energize before that long walk to class? I mean, depends on how much time you have before class starts… but…"

"We have plenty of time!" Kendall interjected excitedly. "Come on, Aria!"

Aria raised her eyebrows. Quietly, she whispered, "What the hell are you doing, Kendall?"

" _Trying_ to make sure you don't miss your opportunity to have coffee with this very cute guy who you apparently know," Kendall whispered.

Liam furrowed his eyebrows, watching the two girls whisper to each other.

"Um… it's fine if you're too busy to stay, Aria. Or if you just don't want to," he chuckled. "Maybe I was imposing too much?"

"No, you're _not_ imposing too much on her," Kendall answered for her.

Liam chuckled again. "Who's the friend?"

"I'm Kendall. Aria's _very_ smart friend who knows that she should stay and have coffee with you. In fact, I'll go to class now, and you two can have coffee together!" Kendall exclaimed. "I'll see you in class, Aria!"

"Kendall!" Aria yelled. " _Hey_!"

But it was too late. Kendall rushed out the doors of the Brew with her coffee in hand, leaving Aria alone with Liam. Aria shot him a smile.

"Look, I didn't mean to force you to do anything," he scratched his head. "If you don't want to be here, then feel free to follow your friend out. I was just asking. I wasn't demanding."

"No, no… I want to, trust me," Aria smiled. "I tend to get a little awkward in these types of situations…"

"These types of situations?" Liam raised his eyebrows.

"Yeah, you know…" Aria bit her lip.

"Aria, it's just coffee," he chuckled. "What'd you think it was? A marriage proposal?"

"Oh," Aria stared at the floor. "I'm sorry— I feel dumb. I kinda thought you were kinda-maybe asking me out? In some type of subtle way?"

Liam smiled at her. "No, it's just coffee. I promise." He tilted his head. " _But_ , that's just right now, you know. Don't feel dumb. You're not dumb. In fact, maybe you're too smart… because you picked up that I kinda-maybe am interested in you."

Aria blushed. "Well, this is just coffee, isn't it? Don't get ahead of yourself, Liam."

"I'll try," Liam grinned. "But you make it a little hard for me, you know." He gestured over to an empty table. "Why don't you sit down and I'll come join you after I order my coffee?"

"Okay," Aria smiled.


	5. Chapter 5

5

Spencer

"Hey!"

Spencer looked over from where she was sitting on her bed and saw Hazel standing in the doorway of their dorm room with a smug look on her face. Spencer had a feeling that she was about to get hell for last night. She had been lucky enough to get back into her dorm room without Hazel witnessing her walk of shame— unkempt hair, smeared makeup, the same dress from last night… But apparently, that didn't excuse her from an interrogation.

"You're back!" Hazel continued, exclaiming smugly. "I didn't catch you back here last night. I'll assume you had an interesting night then, huh?"

Spencer rolled her eyes. "What is with you lately, Hazel?"

"I'm just trying to figure you out, Hastings," Hazel laughed, setting her water bottle down on her desk. She shut the door behind her. She was sweaty, wearing athletic leggings and an athletic Nike tank top. She slipped her running shoes off. "I went on a refreshing jog!"

"Then maybe you should _shower_ ," Spencer commented sarcastically.

"Ha-ha," Hazel said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "I might smell like sweat and hard work, but you can't wipe the smell of sex off of you."

"Funny claim. Even if I _did_ have sex, I already showered, so your claim is purely based on speculation," Spencer smirked.

"Why won't you tell me anything about this?" Hazel asked.

"Because you go about it this way!" Spencer cried. "Look, forgive me for not wanting to tell you things when you handle them so immaturely."

"Well, I feel like you don't _want_ to talk to me!" Hazel cried. "You never open up to me! You won't tell me much about yourself. I want to know you, Spencer. So, sorry… I really wanted to know this stuff. I played detective because I thought it was the only way I'd ever learn things about you."

Spencer's face softened. "This just isn't stuff that I like to talk about."

Hazel sighed. She sat down on her bed. "Yeah, well… my life isn't exactly too exciting these days, so I was hoping I could live through your fun. After Gregory and I broke up, I kinda gave up on dating. Nothing measures up to what we had."

Spencer pressed her lips together. She sort of… _related_ to Hazel on this. And she sort of _wanted_ to open up about her relationship with Toby now. But she didn't want to spill too much and become too vulnerable. She sighed quietly.

"That's… that's how I felt about my relationship with Toby," Spencer confessed, sliding her laptop away from her. "After we broke up, my heart was _destroyed_. He's… he's my first love. I couldn't even _think_ about dating somebody else for so long after we broke up. It seemed like a betrayal, and it just would've felt so wrong."

"What about Bryan?" Hazel asked curiously.

"He's… special," Spencer smiled. "I haven't exactly healed from everything, but he's been one of the first people I've thought about dating since Toby. I actually found myself getting close to him, and _wanting_ something with him." She stared at the floor, pausing for a brief moment. "But I don't know anymore, now that Toby came back. Things are complicated, and I don't want to hurt either one of them, but… I think I might end up just hurting them both."

"What happened last night?" Hazel asked.

She laughed quietly and sadly, shaking her head. "I made an impulsive decision… I mean, it was probably already obvious, but… I slept with Toby last night. I backslid hard, and it wasn't meant to mean anything. Part of me just thought that I could get rid of the last bits of my feelings for him through this, but it seems to have the opposite effect. And the funny thing is… I don't regret it."

Hazel was about to respond, but a knock on their door cut her off. Spencer got up from her bed, walking towards the door and pulling it open. When she opened it, she was startled to see that Bryan was standing there. He smiled at her sweetly.

"Hey," he greeted. "Sorry to intrude like this, but… you weren't answering my messages or calls. I thought I'd come see you myself."

"Oh… sorry," Spencer bit her lip. "I don't know where I put my phone. It's somewhere in this jumbled mess."

Bryan chuckled. "Well, we were supposed to celebrate the end of that killer midterm together, remember? I mean, it's a day late now, but it's never too late to celebrate!"

Spencer scratched her head. " _Oh_ , right! I'm really sorry. I forgot about that."

Bryan stood there in silence, unsure of what to say. He felt like he wasn't getting a very interested response from her; her responses seemed half-assed, like messaging a girl that wasn't really into him and gave him short and sweet responses.

"Can we talk… alone?" Bryan asked.

"Okay," Spencer nodded her head. "Hazel, I'll be out for a second."

Hazel nodded her head. Spencer stepped outside of the dorm room with Bryan. She was facing his direction, but her eyes were avoiding his, choosing to be fixed on the hallway floor instead. He noticed that, and it was unsettling. Something wasn't right. Something changed.

"I can't… shake the feeling… that, uh… that you're mad at me or something," Bryan chewed his lip as he spoke. "You've been distant. I've noticed it. And I know you'll probably tell me that it isn't true, but it really is." He sighed. "What I'm _trying_ to say is that you can tell me whatever it is— whatever it is that has apparently changed."

Spencer shrugged her shoulders. "Nothing has changed. I've just been busy. I've hardly had time to think about friends and all that."

" _Friends_?" Bryan questioned, raising his eyebrows. "Spencer, did you really just say _friends_ to me?"

"I— I didn't mean it like that. Stop overreacting!" Spencer folded her arms. "I was just giving an example of what I didn't have time for because I've been busy. I said friends _and_ all that. You're making something out of nothing."

"It doesn't _feel_ like nothing to me," Bryan told her. "You always say that nothing is wrong, but I really think that something is wrong right now." He sighed again. "Maybe it's time that we actually have a proper talk about us, you know? Maybe it's time that we stop beating around the bush and figure out what the hell we are. It was easier at first when it was uncomplicated and we were easygoing about it… just letting it figure itself out, but… it's making it harder for me. Now, the uncertainty is confusing me, and I think it's because I know what I want now. I know how I feel about you. And I want to know how you feel about me, too."

Spencer was startled by the whole thing. She had no idea that he was going to do this. He had _terrible_ timing. Out of all the times they could have talked about what their "friendly" relationship meant, he chose _now_? Now— when Toby Cavanaugh had just returned to her life, and put her in a complicated situation. Bryan was making things even more complicated.

"We don't need to do this—" Spencer started.

"We don't _need_ to do anything. But I want to," he told her. "I really want to, Spencer." He stepped closer to her, settling his hands down on her cheeks, caressing them gently. "I like you, okay? Not as a friend, not as a study partner… I like you, and I want more with you. I want to take you out on a real date. Is that so hard to believe?"

"Bryan, I can't… not right now," she denied, stepping back from him.

His hands dropped back down to his sides. "And why not?" he demanded. "Can you at least tell me why not? Tell me if I'm doing something wrong? Or if there's something bothering you?"

She sighed. "There's _nothing_ wrong with you. You're great— you're perfect. It's just… are you sure that this is what you want? You want to start a relationship?"

He chuckled. " _Of course_ I'm sure that I want this, Spencer. You're the only girl I've been able to think about. And I've tried to stop myself from getting too attached to you because I know that we're not exclusive or anything, but… I can't suppress my feelings. I want you. All of you."

Bryan stepped back close to her, finding her cheeks with his hands again. He leaned in closer to her, and this time, Spencer didn't push him away. She let him kiss her gently— warm and sweet. She eventually kissed back, at least a little. She was hesitant about it, but she ended up doing it anyway.

And just then, someone stepped into the hallway.

"You forgot your phone."

The voice was bitter and cold. Spencer, recognizing the voice, immediately pulled away from Bryan, turning her body completely to find Toby standing there. He just looked plain furious, with his fists clenched— one of them gripping onto her phone. Bryan was just plain confused. And immediately, flickering her eyes back and forth between the two men, Spencer wished that she had been more careful in her actions. This was exactly what she had been hoping to avoid, yet her own careless actions led her right to that place.

"Toby…" she said, swallowing hard.

Bryan stepped completely back from Spencer, trying to get a grip on what the situation was. There was clearly tension between Spencer and Toby— more on Toby's side. He was definitely angry.

Toby laughed bitterly. "I guess I should've known that there was a _reason_ that you didn't want anything more with me. You've got a boyfriend, right? And you didn't want to tell me that?"

Bryan felt hurt. "Spencer, what is he talking about? You know this guy?"

"Yeah, buddy, she _knows_ this guy," Toby said angrily. "She knows me, but apparently she doesn't give a damn about me. Isn't that right? Do you give a damn about him? I'm sure you don't, because you probably didn't bother telling him that you were _screwing_ me last night!"

"Toby… please…" Spencer muttered.

Bryan stood there in shock. He felt tears threatening to come out of his eyes.

"You slept with him?" he simply asked, wiping away his tears quickly so that Spencer wouldn't see him crying. "Is it true, Spencer?"

"Yes, but—" she began.

"But _nothing_ ," Bryan said venomously. "I can't believe you would do this… I poured my heart out to you, and I told you how I felt about you… and you let me kiss you? You let me kiss you after you slept with some other guy?"

Spencer didn't even know what to say. She didn't know if there was any justification for her actions. She could argue that she and Bryan weren't exclusive, but she didn't think that would really do her any favors right now. So, she just let Bryan storm away from her. Maybe it was better that he didn't get involved with her.

Toby stayed standing there. His facial expression changed from pure anger to sadness.

"Why would you even bother leading me on if you had a boyfriend?" he asked, with a sadness that sounded almost _desperate_ in his voice. "Why would you do that to me? I specifically _asked_ you if you were dating anybody, and you told me that the answer is no."

"I know, and… technically, he and I aren't dating—" Spencer began.

"Really? Are you just making out with him for fun?" he cut her off. "You know, I was pretty happy that you left your phone in my hotel room, because that meant that I'd get to come back down here and see you again. It gave me an excuse," he laughed bitterly. "But I got this crap instead. Good thing I didn't book a return ticket, or I might've had to stay here for much too long. I'm getting out of here as soon as possible."

"Toby, don't go," she begged. "I know I hurt you… but everything that happened last night meant something to me."

He shook his head. "I don't know if I believe you."

"What good would it do me to lie to you now?" she asked.

Alison - Emily

"That's like the _sixth_ outfit that you've tried on, Emily."

Emily pressed her lips together, ignoring Lexi's comment. She analyzed herself in the mirror one more time, wondering if she should rummage through her closet again for another outfit combination to try on. There was an unexplainable pressure that Emily felt to dress well right now— she was about to drive down to the hotel that Alison was staying at, since they were going to hang out that day.

"Is this a date or something? Is _she_ the girl you loved or something?"

"Stop jumping to conclusions," Emily quickly denied. "She's just an old friend, and I'm pretty picky about what I wear, okay? We're probably going to take pictures together and all… I can't be wearing a terrible outfit."

"Well, you look good, so… don't worry about it," Lexi told her with a smile.

"Thanks," Emily smiled back. "I guess I'll just wear this, then." She picked up her purse from her bed, and then headed towards the door again. "I should probably get going now. I think it's already kinda late. She must be bored hanging out at her hotel alone."

"There's lots to do here," Lexi reminded. "It's a great tourist spot."

"Yeah, I know, but… I told her that we'd hang out today, so she must be waiting for me there alone," Emily explained, sighing. "I feel bad about it." She looked over at Lexi. "But I'll text you later tonight, and we can look for apartments. Sound good?"

"Sure," Lexi nodded her head. "Have fun, Em!"

"Thanks," Emily said, and then rushed out of her room.

When she went out into the dorm hallway, she started hurriedly walking. But before she could get very far, she ran right into somebody. The girl had intentionally positioned herself in Emily's way to get her attention.

"Hey!" she exclaimed. "I'm glad I caught you here! I was just on my way to your dorm room to see you, Emily!"

Emily swallowed hard.

" _Jennifer_!" she faked her excitement. "What's up?"

"Nothing much," Jennifer grinned. "I was just wondering why you hadn't returned any of my calls or messages. I wanted to let you know that I had _a lot_ of fun the other night."

"Yeah, yeah… it was great," Emily bit her lip. "I'm sorry— I've been super busy lately. I have exams coming up, and my friend is in town, so… I don't have time for this at all. Actually, I can't even be wasting any of my time right now! I have to get going. I was on my way to somewhere important, so… I'll have to catch you later. It was nice seeing you, though."

"Emily—" Jennifer started, but Emily raced off before the girl could even finish her sentence.

Emily didn't mean to get herself into a sticky situation like this. She was hoping that Jennifer would just take the hint that she wasn't returning any texts or calls. She wasn't expecting to be interrogated and tracked down. Sighing, Emily rushed to her car. First, she made a quick stop on the way there to pick up something to eat for her.

She headed over to Alison's hotel building. She had written down the room number and location when she took her there the previous night, so she followed the same path. She knocked on the door, biting her lip as she waited for the blonde.

Finally, the door opened. Alison smiled at her.

"Hey."

"Hey! I come bearing breakfast…"

Alison tilted her head to the side, smiling appreciatively. "Thanks."

"It's just a bagel and cream cheese… and some coffee… I didn't know what to get, so… I'm sorry if you don't like it," Emily rambled, suddenly feeling nervous.

Alison furrowed her eyebrows. "No, it's fine. It's _more_ than fine, actually. That's really sweet of you to even get me breakfast. You can't go wrong with coffee and a bagel, Em."

Emily handed her the box with the bagel and cream cheese in it, followed by the hot paper cup of coffee. Alison walked inside of the room, setting the breakfast down on the table. She gestured for Emily to come inside, which the brunette obediently did.

Both of them sat down at the table. Alison cracked the box open, picking up the bagel.

"So, how have you been?" Emily asked, attempting to make conversation. She knew that she was a lot more nervous than she should have been.

"I'm fine," the blonde replied, shrugging her shoulders. She fidgeted with her fingers a little bit, so Emily figured that she wasn't so "fine" after all. She continued, "I've got a good thing going on in Rosewood. I get to see Charlotte all the time, too." Emily winced when she heard the name. She tried not to think about her haunting past with Charlotte, although she knew that Alison, for some reason, was trying to build a relationship with her. "I'm sorry. I know that you don't want to hear about that." Emily wanted to tell her that she was glad to listen to the Charlotte stories, but she really wasn't. She hated everything about it, and rightfully so. Alison sighed, "I've been studying at Hollis College to be a teacher, so that's pretty nice."

"Oh, right," Emily smiled slightly. "I think Aria mentioned that a few times while I was talking to her. So, you get to see her around all the time then, right?"

"I guess I see her sometimes. We don't meet up religiously or anything," she laughed sadly and quietly. "But, it's not like we _don't_ talk. We definitely do. It's just, she's got her own interests. And I have mine, too… it's no big deal. We hang out when we have time for each other."

"Well, it's still nice that you get to see her," Emily said. "It's kinda lonely around here. There aren't that many familiar faces."

"I'm sure you've made plenty of new friends during all your time here," Alison said, tilting her head to the side. "Your roommate seems nice."

"Yeah, she is. Lexi's probably… like my best friend," Emily smiled. "We're actually looking for an apartment to move into soon."

"That's great," Alison commented, smiling.

"Mhm," Emily agreed, nodding her head. "But still, I can't help but miss everyone back home. It feels like it's been forever since I've seen anybody."

"I figured we'd all end up losing touch after graduation. I mean, I know that nobody wanted to admit it back then, but life catches up to you. We can't deny reality any longer. The evidence is right here."

"Wow, you sure are a downer now, aren't you?" Emily raised her eyebrows.

"Sorry. I'm not trying to be," Alison sighed.

Emily had the feeling that something was wrong, and she wanted to fix it. But she wasn't sure that she had a solution to whatever Alison's problem was. She feared that Alison thought that she was the cure to her problem, and would be gravely disappointed when she found out that Emily couldn't give her what she needed.

"You sure you're okay?" Emily asked, concerned.

"I'm _okay_ and all," Alison sighed. "But… I guess I just want better than _okay_ these days."

"Well, what do you want to do to be okay?" Emily asked, scratching her head. "I'll do whatever I can."

"I don't know… I just… I want to have some fun, that's all," Alison explained. "I know that it's vague… but that's really all I've got."

"Okay," Emily nodded her head. " _Fun_. I can do fun. We're in _California_. People have fun here all the time."

Alison laughed quietly. "I've got a feeling that I might regret this…"

"You won't, I swear!" Emily exclaimed. "Well, I don't even have an idea in mind yet, but I'll try to make sure that you won't regret it." She stared at the floor for a while as Alison continued eating her bagel and drinking her coffee. Suddenly, Emily thought of something. She wasn't sure if it would be the best thing to do, but people certainly had fun: a party. No one could go wrong with a little bit of partying, right?

Noticing that Emily perked up in her seat, Alison gave her a questioning look. "What is it?"

"What about the beach?" Emily suggested, grinning widely. "We can head down there in a bit. Someone I know is having a huge beach party there tonight. It's supposed to be fun, or… so I've heard."

"A beach party?" Alison laughed a little bit. "That reminds me so much of high school."

"Oh…" Emily bit her lip. "Are you not into it, then? I guess I can try to figure something else out—"

"No, it's not that. I was hoping to feel some of the same thrill that I used to when I was younger, and… a beach party just reminds me of exactly that. It's exactly the type of thing I was hoping for," Alison told her.

Emily pressed her lips together, analyzing the amusement on the blonde's face. She seemed so excited by the high school reminder, but it served as more of a trigger for Emily. Not that parties triggered her memories of the past— she had honestly never thought of it that way until Alison described it like that.

"You seem to be awfully thrilled about a high school reminder. I thought most of us were trying to get rid of those memories instead of embracing them," Emily raised her eyebrows.

"Not every part," Alison shook her head. "But there were some parts that are worth remembering… and _that's_ what I'm trying to recreate."

"So, Noel Kahn's big parties are what is worth remembering?" Emily joked.

Alison breathily laughed. "Not exactly how I'd put it, but something like that. I just mean that those big parties represent a time where I didn't have to care about anything. My life was so much more carefree than what it turned into afterwards. And that's not to say that I wish that I were still the person I used to be— I don't. I'm proud of how I've changed. I just miss having fun sometimes."

"You don't have to keep explaining it to me."

Hanna

Hanna came to the office after finishing her classes for the day. She went up to her office floor, ready to check on her latest matters. She was so excited to get to do this— she couldn't believe that people were working _for_ her. But her good mood was again ruined when she saw _Caleb_ there again. She had made herself momentarily forget that he was still working here. She tried to pretend like she wasn't bothered by her, but it really was freaking annoying that he was going to be there all the time.

Caleb was talking to Alexander inside of a meeting room. After they talked for a little bit, he exited the room, and stared right at Hanna. He looked almost apologetic, and it just made Hanna angrier. She quickly turned away from him, and spotted Jordan, who was exiting the elevator. She rushed over to him.

"Hey, _baby_!" she greeted loudly, just so that Caleb would hear her saying it.

"Hey there, love…" Jordan chuckled, scratching his head. "Well, you seem _too_ excited."

"I mean, working here is pretty great," Hanna said.

"It certainly is. And I'll get to see you even more now," Jordan smiled.

Hanna knew damn well that Caleb's eyes were on them. She knew it was a bit of a jerk move, but she did it anyway— she leaned in and kissed Jordan aggressively. She made sure to open her mouth into the kiss, yanking at his neck so it was even deeper and looked extremely passionate to those around them (AKA Caleb). Jordan was so startled by the kiss, he was barely able to breathe after being grabbed like that. But, he eased into it, eventually gladly kissing his girlfriend back. After a point, he finally decided to pull away from her.

"As much as I'm enjoying this, love, it's… probably unprofessional for the workplace," Jordan told her. "You don't want to be making poor impressions so early, do you?"

"No, of course not. Sorry," Hanna apologized, but was smirking anyway. "I just couldn't help myself. You look so damn fine today, you know that?"

"Well, thank you… you look beautiful, as usual," Jordan chuckled. He pecked her cheek. "I promise, we can have plenty of this when we get home, alright, love? Just not in the workplace."

"Of course," Hanna nodded her head. "It won't happen again. I'll learn to control myself somehow."

"Good," he said, squeezing her shoulders. "Have a lovely day at work. I should get back to my own work."

Hanna turned around, looking at Caleb proudly. He rolled his eyes, trying to turn his attention away from them. He was relieved once Jordan walked away from them. He was pretty annoyed that she had to do that— it seemed like it was clearly just to spite him, from the smug look on her face. He walked faster to catch up to her, ready to give her a piece of his mind.

" _Really_ , Hanna?"

Hanna furrowed her eyebrows. "Can I help you, Mister Rivers?"

"Let's not play games," Caleb rolled his eyes again.

"I'm not playing any games. I'm serious: what is your problem?" she asked.

"Don't pretend like you didn't do that just to provoke me!" Caleb accused.

Hanna scoffed. "Okay, that's quite the accusation, first of all… and _second of all_ , just because me kissing my boyfriend makes you jealous, doesn't mean that it's all a plot to make you mad. That logic actually makes no sense! All you did was basically just confirm that you're being whiny and jealous because… oh, do you still have feelings for me or something?"

Caleb rolled his eyes. "I don't have _feelings_ for you. You think I still think about you after all that time? 'Cause I don't. I have other things to worry about, Hanna."

" _Ohmygod_ , you literally just got mad at me and accused me of 'provoking' you because I kissed my _boyfriend_ ," Hanna folded her arms. "If that doesn't scream jealousy, then I don't know what does. Don't be so immature."

"I'm not being _immature_ ," he folded his arms as well. "Look, I was trying to keep my cool and be nice to you, but—"

"But _what_ , Caleb?" Hanna demanded, raising her eyebrows. "The only reason you could possibly be angry about me kissing Jordan is because you don't like the idea of me being with him. Don't you realize how wild your accusation sounded? You played yourself by confronting me, you know. Because now I know that you're jealous."

Caleb flared his nostrils. She just had this way of getting under his skin, and he hated it. He decided that it was best if he didn't continue this conversation. So, he turned around and just walked away. He knew it was a better decision.

Aria

Aria had hit it off with Liam.

Like, _really_ well.

She was surprised that she had found such a connection with him. She knew he was interested in English, or he wouldn't have been working at the company that Aria had interviewed for an internship with, but she didn't think she'd have so much in common with him. They liked so many of the same things, and had so much to talk about while they had coffee together. She definitely was interested when she first saw him while she was waiting for Mr. Harvey, but for the wrong reasons— superficial reasons. She thought Liam was really cute.

But now, she was surprised to discover that he was actually _boyfriend material_. She had felt so hopeless in the dating world for so long, but he was giving her some real hope again. After seeing Ezra again as her English professor, Aria's world kind of fell back into the old, dark place where she thought about him way too much. Liam made her think of other things. It was still a struggle, though; Ezra popped into her mind more times than she would like to admit, but the thoughts definitely decreased once she got Liam into her mind instead.

They exchanged numbers after their coffee "date," and had been texting frequently. Once again, she was surprised to find out that the conversation wasn't bland— she knew what texting boys was like, as she had done it a lot in the past. She usually had nothing to talk about with the guy, and they'd go back and forth in a bland exchange, trying to make something out of nothing. She'd try so hard to create substance in the conversation, but it usually failed. That wasn't the case with Liam, though. She didn't have to try so hard to keep the conversation going— it just happened. Their conversation flowed naturally.

Seated on a bench on campus, Aria was grinning at her phone like a fool, admiring one of Liam's latest text messages. She pondered for a moment, trying to think of a witty response, and then fired away at texting him back.

"So, things must be working out with the cute coffee guy, right?"

Aria looked up from where she was sitting and saw Kendall hovering above her.

"Kendall! Hey!" Aria greeted, setting her phone down.

Kendall raised her eyebrows. "So, am I right, or what?"

Aria bit her lip, blushing slightly. "I mean, he's… really great."

"You're welcome. You were trying to ignore him and bolt out the door!" Kendall cried. "Man, _that_ would've been a big mistake…"

"Yeah, probably…" Aria said quietly, shaking her head. "Well, thanks, then."

Kendall took a seat down next to her on the bench. "So, how do you know the dude, anyway?"

"Remember when I went for that internship interview?" Kendall nodded her head to the question. Aria continued, "Well, the boss was running late, so I was waiting in the waiting room, and he came by. He works there. We had a nice conversation, and then I guess we ended up running into each other again at the Brew."

"How cute!" Kendall laughed. "When are you guys gonna hook up? Or have you _already_?"

"No way!" Aria quickly denied. "He's a really great guy. We're just getting to know each other a bit before anything happens. We're taking it slow."

"Well, how's it been going?" Kendall asked.

"It's nice, I guess," Aria replied. "We had a good time when we had coffee together— we had a lot to talk about, surprisingly. We have a lot in common, actually. And so, we exchanged numbers and all that… and we've been texting. He's super fun and easy to talk to."

"I'm happy for you," Kendall smiled. "You don't really date long-term too much."

"I just never found the right guy, you know? One who it _clicks_ with," Aria shrugged her shoulders.

"Well, maybe Liam's _that_ guy," Kendall grinned wider. "You should ask him out already."

"Really?" Aria bit her lip. "I was worried that it's too soon—"

"No way!" Kendall cried. "He totally likes you. I saw you two together once, and it was abundantly clear. Trust me."

"I don't want to rush into anything," Aria sighed. She stared down at the floor sadly. Her mind was plummeting back into old thoughts. She looked over at Kendall vulnerably and with a bit of sadness in her eyes. "The thing is," she started, "I dated this guy in high school long-term. We were on-off for practically half my time in high school. And it was a rollercoaster of a relationship, but it was amazing. He was my first love, and… I really, really did love him a lot… so, now? I end up comparing everything to that relationship, and it's just unsettling to me if it doesn't measure up. I want to feel that way that I felt with him again. And that's why I'm always hesitant about really dating somebody for the sake of finding a… life partner."

"Aria…" Kendall said sympathetically, tilting her head to the side. "That's understandable. Most people have a hard time forgetting their first love. You just have to push through and allow yourself to fall hard for somebody else. Every relationship you get into might not work out like you want it to, and that's okay. That's the point of dating. So, you break up with him, and you keep on looking. And you never know— Liam might be _the one_ if you give him the chance to be. You also don't have to be dating just to find a life partner. People date around for fun all the time, just to see the types of things that they like. Maybe you never got exposure to everything because you dated one guy so exclusively. You might date someone and realize that you like something entirely different. But nonetheless, it's all about taking risks."


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Hey, guys! Sorry it took me so long to update. I've been kinda busy with school stuff. BUT, I guess there's some good news? This chapter's extra long! Normally, the chapters are ~5,000 words, but this time, it's almost at 9,000! Wow! I kinda like doing longer chapters better. I get to add more stuff, which is great. Anyways, I hope you guys like the new chapter. It's got some Emison jealousy, Ezria jealousy + Aria and Liam first date stuff, Spoby talks and more, and last, but not least, some Haleb jealousy and... a flashback of them pre-breakup to kinda pinpoint where some of the tension between them came from. You should most definitely drop a review!**

6

Emily - Alison

Alison got ready for the beach while Emily quickly returned to campus to pick up a change of clothes, in case they got into the water or something. When she returned, Alison had showered and dressed herself in high-waisted, light-blue denim shorts, a flowery top, and a white beach cardigan. Emily assumed that she was wearing her swimsuit underneath. When Emily entered the hotel room, Alison picked her beach bag up with a smile on her face.

"Hey."

"Hey," Emily greeted back. "You sure came here prepared, didn't you?"

"Well, I didn't know what we'd be doing here, so I brought a little bit of everything," Alison grinned.

Emily drove her down to the Malibu Lagoon State Beach, which was an incredibly short distance from the hotel. As Emily was parking the car, Alison analyzed the area outside— there were other supposed college students excitedly getting out of their cars, alcohol in-hand (of course), and some carrying large speakers with them to play music. There wasn't much of a college experience at Hollis. There were parties and all, but it never was what she expected college to be like.

"You ready?" Emily asked, looking over at the blonde.

Alison nodded her head, eagerly opening the door. She grabbed her beach back from below her seat, and then shut the door. Emily came to her side, and they walked onto the sandy ground together. There was a nearby deck where all the other students were. There was one giant speaker blasting a bass-heavy song. Almost every person there had some form of alcohol in their hands. It was an eyebrow-raiser for Alison. She obviously didn't see this a lot at Hollis…

"There's Warren!" Emily exclaimed, grinning.

Alison furrowed her eyebrows. "Warren?"

"Yeah. He's the guy who's throwing this thing," Emily informed her. "He really knows how to have a good time."

Alison stayed silent as Emily led her over to a dirty blond male. He was wearing navy blue swim trunks and had an open button-up shirt, revealing a nicely-sculpted body.

" _Emmmmilyyyyy Fiiieeellldsss_!" he exclaimed in a very exaggerated voice. He didn't sound drunk or anything; he was just being overdramatic. "I thought you said you weren't gonna come today 'cause you wanted to focus on studying or whatever!"

Emily laughed quietly, shaking her head. "Yeah, well, that was the original plan… but, someone kinda came into town, so, here we are."

" _Oh_ ," Warren wiggled his eyebrows. "This ya' new girl? You are _so_ wild, Fields. I always knew you had a thing for blondes."

Alison suddenly felt uncomfortable. She started to wonder why she even wanted to come to something like this— drunk people, weird boys, loud music… it was just unappealing. And apparently, Emily had a whole new life that Alison had no idea about. She felt silly; she didn't know if she was actually expecting Emily to have had no life at all. But what he implied just felt odd to her… as if Emily had been with so many girls. She had her fair share of girlfriends back in Rosewood, but it was never like _that_ ; it was never a "player" type of situation.

"Uh…um, no," Emily denied, biting her lip. "It's not like that. She's an old friend of mine from high school."

"Alright then," Warren grinned. "It'd be a mess to be with _this one_ anyway. You'd end up being old news in like, a day…"

Alison forced a smile. "Really?"

"N-no," Emily shook her head. "He's just joking around."

Warren laughed, causing Alison to still feel disbelief.

"Sorry, Em. I didn't know it was something to be ashamed of. I thought most people were proud of being able to pull that hard," he shrugged his shoulders. Emily shot him a glare. "Um… clearly my talking is not doing ya' any good, so… I'll just stop." He scratched his head. "It's nice to meet ya' anyway, Em's friend. I'm Warren. You gotta name or what?"

"Alison," she responded.

" _Alison_. Nice," Warren grinned. "Well, since you're not with Em— I could never compete with a looker like her— maybe you'd wanna grab a drink with me? I put this whole thing together. I can show you a real good time, I promise. Em can vouch for me, right?"

"No way!" Emily spoke for her. "Warren, I love you, but keep your hands off of my friend, alright? There are plenty of other girls for you to take advantage of."

"Take advantage of? Who do you think I am?" he chuckled. "I just wanted to buy her a drink and get to know her a little."

Alison avoided his eyes. "Um… maybe later? I should probably stick with Emily for now."

Warren clicked his tongue in disappointment. "Alright. Suit yourself. It's a shame… but, I'mma be right here if you change your mind."

"Yeah… great," Emily rolled her eyes. "Come on, Ali."

Alison followed Emily, getting away from Warren.

"He's… _something_ ," Alison commented with sarcasm in her voice.

"Yeah…" Emily chuckled, scratching her head. "He's actually a good guy, even though it might not look that way. He'd never do anything to hurt you."

"I believe you, but… sleeping around isn't really my thing. Maybe it works for you and the other people here, but I'm not—" she began.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Emily cut her off, slightly offended.

Alison scoffed. "Come _on_ , Emily… I'm not an idiot. You think I didn't pick up what he was telling me about you? I'm sure you've had a ton of flings with people here, and that's fine. No judgment. It's your life, not mine. That may not be the way _I_ function, but if that makes you happy, then, by all means, go ahead."

"He misspoke."

"Did he, though?" Alison raised her eyebrows.

Emily felt like she was tarnishing her good reputation with Alison. She felt like Alison had always been attracted to that innocence inside of her, and this just didn't coincide. She'd be seen as someone who wasn't innocent— someone who slept around with tons of people and was having constant flings. Emily hated how there was truth to Warren's statement. It made her reflect on her own actions and realize that she was just that. And she wasn't proud of it.

"I'm not like that," Emily told her. "I… I mean, I obviously have done things… I wasn't wearing a chastity belt for two and a half years in college. But… it's not—"

"You really don't have to explain yourself to me," Alison shook her head. "It's honestly none of my business. I don't give a damn who you're sleeping with. Why should I? I mean, as long as it's harmless."

"Okay," Emily swallowed hard. It hurt a little to hear that.

And just when Emily thought that her luck couldn't get any worse— _Jennifer_. Jennifer showed up at the party. Emily was really starting to feel that hooking up with her was a huge mistake. It wasn't worth all of this. She tried to duck her head a little bit, hoping to avoid contact with Jennifer. But she was sure that there was no way that she could go the entire night without Jennifer seeing her even once.

Fortunately for her, it happened ever-so-quickly. Emily was probably one of the first things that Jennifer noticed when she arrived at the party.

" _Emily_! You're here!" Jennifer beamed, running up to her. Alison was subtly excited to hear what yet another one of Emily's college friends had to say about her. Clearly, they were a lot more open about exposing things than Emily was. "I was a little bit upset because you had to bolt on me this morning, but now we can hang out together tonight!"

"I don't—" Emily bit her lip. "Look, I don't know if this is a good idea."

"What do you mean?" Jennifer asked. "You said you've been too busy to call or text me back, but now you're here, and you've got time. So, why not?" Jennifer furrowed her eyebrows, trying to scan the body language between Emily and her blonde friend. "Don't tell me you're screwing _her_ , too."

" _Too_?" Alison scoffed, amused. She shook her head. She looked over at the girl. "Look, I don't know who you are… but I'm not 'screwing' her. I'm straight. And you can go ahead and work your issues out together. I think I'll take Warren up on his offer and go get a drink with him. I'll see you later, Emily." With that being said, Alison clenched her fists and walked away from her.

"Ali, wait…" Emily sighed. She sunk her hands down by her sides in defeat, and turned her attention back to Jennifer. " _God_ , why won't you just leave me alone?"

Jennifer pressed her lips together. She extended her hand out to touch Emily's shoulder, hoping to calm the clearly-exasperated girl down. Emily stepped back, rejecting Jennifer's coaxing.

"I'm not trying to be mean, okay?" Emily softened. "You're probably a really nice girl, but I'm not looking for a relationship right now. I should've been clearer. That night didn't mean anything to me."

Jennifer swallowed hard. "You're serious?"

"I'm sorry," Emily breathily spoke. "You deserve someone who's good to you, anyway—"

"Oh, don't hit me with that _crap_ ," she rolled her eyes. She crossed her arms over her chest. "I can't believe I actually liked you. You're like the female version of a frat boy."

Emily felt sorry for her, but there was nothing she could really do at this point.

"I really am sorry," she offered.

Jennifer scoffed, shaking her head. She threaded a hand through her blonde hair, feeling frustrated. Then, she simply turned away from Emily and walked off, not wanting to give her any more time or attention. Emily stood in the same spot and scratched her head— she wasn't really sure where to go from here. Alison had ditched her for Warren, and Emily didn't really feel like flirting with a random new girl tonight— especially not after how Warren tarnished her reputation with Alison. She sighed and walked to the beach bar that Warren had set up, and ordered herself a beer. Once the bartender slid her drink over to her, she picked it up from the counter and took a large swig of it.

Emily dared to turn her head around further, and witnessed exactly what she was hoping that she wouldn't have to see: Alison and Warren… _flirting_. It was a haunting sight, to be honest. It wasn't that Emily didn't like Warren— it was quite the opposite, actually. She and Warren had been friends for a long time, and he threw great parties. But he wasn't the type of guy that Emily pictured with Alison. Maybe he was the type of guy that Alison would've been willing to date while she was in high school, but she assumed that Alison's taste in men had matured. She had always rambled about how she wanted a stable man, and Warren was _not_ what she was looking for. Emily had no doubt that this thing between them wouldn't last in the long-term. Emily and Warren were a lot alike in the sense that they both were evasive of committed relationships. But that didn't mean that Alison couldn't hook up with him tonight. It would just be sex, and Emily was no stranger to the concept of one-night-stands. It was just… she hated the idea of _Alison_ getting it on with some guy.

Frustrated, she was trying to force herself to look away, but her eyes were glued to them. She closely watched the way Alison leaned a little bit forward, giggled, and twirled a little strand of her blonde hair. She knew those flirtatious signs all too well. Alison often did that when she was flirting with a boy in high school. Warren was leaning forward as well, so Emily knew damn well that he was interested— it was no surprise, anyway. He was the one who had suggested that he buy Alison a drink. And he was always looking for a new girl to get "favors" from.

Emily strolled over closer to them, but remained at a far enough distance where she thought that they wouldn't notice her lurking. She tried to keep her eyes focused on something else so that if they did happen to notice her, they wouldn't know that she was eavesdropping. But her ears were tuned into their conversation. She didn't know why she needed to listen to what they were talking about— she knew it was something flirtatious before she even heard a single word of it. But she listened anyway, and kept taking sips of her beer while she was at it. She tapped her fingernails away at the glass bottle, feeling the frustration growing inside of her as she had more to drink, and as she listened more to the conversation.

"So, how long you in town for?"

"I dunno. I haven't gotten a return ticket yet."

"That's awesome… 'cause that means you've got plenty of time to have some fun around here, ya' know?"

She bit her lip. "Yeah, I know."

"So, where're you staying?"

"A hotel. It's just a few blocks away from Pepperdine."

"Nice… so, you're in close enough proximity to chill again some other time?"

"I'm not here forever, you know."

"I know. But you're here long enough."

She smirked. "For what, exactly?"

He laughed breathily. He set his beer down on a table next to him, and then leaned down to press his lips against Alison's. Totally expecting it, she kissed him back. He snaked his hands down towards her waist, touching her there, rubbing up and down her hips gently. Emily swallowed hard as she watched it, wanting to peel her eyes away from it so badly. It was nauseating to watch. She finally forced herself to look away, not wanting to know whether they started giving each other tongue or not.

She marched over to the bar again, gesturing for the bartender to come over to her.

"Another?" he asked, and she nodded her head.

He grabbed a beer from the cooler, and slid it across the counter to Emily. She popped the cap off, and took a large sip of it. She kept drinking and drinking, not thinking of anything better to do at this lame party. She wished that she hadn't come tonight. And out of all the parties she had been to in her high school and college experience, this had to take the cake for the worst party. It wasn't because it was poorly planned or just "boring" (although it was quite boring for Emily), it was because she didn't feel like socializing with anybody. Not when she knew that Alison was flirting her ass of with a party dude who wouldn't give too many damns about her after they hooked up. And to make it worse, she had already witnessed them exchanging spit. Plus, she was pretty sure that Alison knew damn well that she had been watching.

But Emily guessed that _that_ was a part of the fun for her.

* * *

Aria

"I'm surprised you asked me out so quickly. I was afraid that you were going to make me work for it for a long time."

Aria chuckled, shaking her head. "No way. I don't like to play games. I'm trying to be more of a go-getter. When I like something, I go get it."

"I can get behind that," he grinned. "I'm glad you asked me out, too. I was too chicken to grow the balls to do it myself."

"I was worried about doing it too soon, too, but… after talking to my friend, you know, the girl that was with me at the Brew the other day, I decided that there's no reason for me to wait around," Aria explained.

"Well, please give her many thanks from me," Liam chuckled.

The people in front of them had finally cleared out with asking for their table. Liam smiled at the woman working at the front, and stepped up to the counter.

"Good evening," he greeted warmly. "Um… I've got a reservation for two under Greene for seven."

"Found it. Perfect. Right this way, Mister Greene," the woman smiled.

Liam and Aria followed the woman to a nice little table in the back of the restaurant. They seated themselves across from each other. The woman handed each of them a food menu and a drink menu.

"I'll be back in a few minutes to take your orders," she dismissed herself politely.

Liam removed his coat and hung it on the neck of the chair that he was sitting on. He glanced over at Aria, biting his lip nervously.

"Is this the part where it gets all weird and the date crashes and burns?" he half-joked.

Aria rolled her eyes playfully. "No way. Why are you thinking like _that_? It's only weird if we make it weird."

"I don't know," he shrugged his shoulders. "I'm all for it when it's just texting. But when it comes to an actual first date, I kinda turn into a stress ball. I'm not too good at first dates— I get some real bad nervous jitters."

Aria laughed quietly. "Well, you don't need to have your nervous jitters here. There's no stress at all."

"Then why do I feel so stressed out?" he joked.

She tilted her head to the side sympathetically. Sweetly, she reached over and touched his hand. Slowly, her fingers slid between his, and they locked their hands together. She gave his hand a light squeeze to reassure him that everything was going to be okay, and that there was nothing to be nervous about here.

"I didn't know I made you nervous like this. How flattering," she joked. "But seriously… you've got nothing to be nervous about, Liam. It's just me."

" _Just_ you?" he was stunned. "Aria, you're literally perfect. It's not _just_ you. How the hell am I _not_ supposed to be nervous right now?"

She blushed, scratching her head.

"I am _not_ perfect. Trust me," she told him. "I have made so many mistakes that I can't even keep count anymore."

Liam raised his eyebrows. He grinned. "Oh, really? You're trying to tell me that you're not flawless? Well, I need evidence, then. Tell me about these _big_ catastrophic mistakes that you've made."

"No way! What fun would it be if I told you all my secrets on the first date?" she asked playfully. "I have to keep you interested so you come crawling back for more after, right?"

"You don't have to play any games to make me come crawling back for more," he chuckled. "I will gladly do _that_ without any persuasion."

"Well, it's still too soon. If you really want to start this, then why don't you go first and tell me _your_ catastrophic mistakes?" she grinned.

The truth was that Aria didn't want to get into everything. She knew she was far from perfect. And she also felt that Liam would have a more judgmental side when it came to her revealing that she was on-off dating her high school teacher for years, among other "catastrophic mistakes." She didn't blame him, though. Most people had a judgmental side when it came to something that was so plainly wrong like what she did— it was just the normal reaction, and probably the right one.

"Alright, alright… I guess we can do this gradually. But I'm gonna get those secrets out of you, Montgomery," he chuckled.

"Good luck with that… but for now, why don't you focus on figuring out what you're going to order before the lady comes back?" she smugly asked.

"Right…"

Aria picked her own menu up from the table, scanning it for items that she liked. When the lady came back around, both Liam and Aria gave her their respective orders.

Once the lady had left again, Aria dismissed herself: "I'm gonna quickly wash my hands before the food comes. I'll be right back."

"Alright. I'll do the same when you get back," he told her.

She nodded her head, got up from her seat, and started walking towards the women's restroom. Her eyes were absentmindedly fixed on the floor, watching her own feet as she took more steps. But breaking her absentmindedness was a sudden bumping into somebody else. Immediately, her head shot up to see who she had bumped into. She almost jumped back when she saw him. It was as if her timing couldn't get any worse.

" _Aria_!" Ezra greeted excitedly. "What are you doing here?"

She furrowed her eyebrows. "Um… I'm getting dinner. What else?"

"Right, sorry…" he chuckled. "It's just a little funny running into you again."

And of course, Ezra wasn't at the restaurant alone. He had his arm sweetly wrapped around Nicole, his girlfriend's, waist. They were pressed so close together. They truly looked like a happy couple, and it irked Aria, although she told herself that she was over it.

"You met Nicole, right?" Ezra asked, tilting his head to the side. "I think it was around the time of your graduation… but she was the one who I was discussing Habitat for Humanity with."

"Yeah, yeah… I vaguely remember that," she lied. She remembered it damn well… perfectly. "Nice to see you again, Nicole. I'm, um... I'm Aria Montgomery. I'm one of his students at Hollis. And I was also his student at Rosewood High School."

"Oh, that's lovely!" Nicole smiled. "I think I vaguely remember you as well. Ezra was attending one of your art shows. I remember that your artwork was marvelous. You had some photography up, right?"

"Yeah," Aria nodded her head.

"Well, it's nice to see you again, dear. I'm Nicole Gordon, if you were wondering," she introduced herself. "I'm Ezra's girlfriend."

"Oh, that's sweet," Aria commented. But she didn't think it was sweet at all. Honestly, it bothered her that they were together, as much as she kept telling herself that it didn't. "You two make a cute couple. I had no idea that the woman who was talking to him about Habitat for Humanity would end up becoming his girlfriend. It seems like a sweet love story."

Nicole nodded her head. "We just connected so well while we were working together. I'm honored to have met such an amazing man… Sorry. I didn't mean to talk like that." She shook her head, laughing quietly. "I know that it's probably weird for you to hear about your professor's relationship."

"No, I think it's fine," Ezra answered for her. "We're not your average student-teacher relationship." Aria swallowed hard when he spoke— it just sounded so wrong. It sounded like he was _hinting_ at their relationship, and Aria was honestly worried that Nicole would pick up on the vibe that he was dropping. Ezra continued, "We go way back. I taught her English in high school, and I was also… I was pretty good friends with her parents."

That wasn't necessarily a lie. He _did_ teach her English in high school. And he _was_ good friends with her parents… at least up until the part where they found out that he was dating their daughter.

"Yeah, it's fine," Aria responded. "Um, I should get going. I was going to wash my hands and then get back to my table."

"Hanging out with friends tonight?" Ezra asked.

Aria was annoyed he even asked that question. She wondered if he asked it so that he could find out that she was on a date. And frankly, she wanted him to know that she was on a date. She wanted to rub it in a little, just the way that he seemed to be rubbing in his relationship with Nicole.

"No, actually… I'm actually on a date tonight," Aria responded.

"Oh," Ezra nodded his head. It seemed like he was expecting it. "That's nice. I, uh… I hope you two have a good time together tonight. Stay safe."

"Um… thanks," Aria bit her lip. "I hope that you two have a good night tonight as well. And it was nice to see you again, Nicole."

"Of course," Nicole smiled.

Aria was quick to rush away from them. She offered them a tiny wave goodbye before rushing into the restroom. She turned on the sink, thoroughly washing her hands with soap and water while staring at her reflection in the mirror. She felt uncomfortable from that exchange. She hated how it was bothering her so much that Nicole and Ezra were out on a date tonight. And of course, conveniently, it had to be at the same restaurant that Aria was going on her first date with Liam.

After drying off her hands, Aria walked back to her table where Liam was sitting. He smiled brightly when he saw that she had returned.

"Hey! That took a while," he chuckled.

"Yeah, sorry about that… I saw… um, I saw an old friend here so we talked for a little bit," she explained, scratching her head. "You can go wash your hands now. I'll stay at the table."

"That's nice. And okay, I'll be right back," he said, standing up from the table.

Once Liam walked off, Aria turned to her side and saw Nicole and Ezra again. Ezra, as the gentleman he was, pulled out the seat for Nicole. She smiled so radiantly, clearly enchanted by his company. Aria had always been a hopeless romantic. She loved big love stories. And part of her thought that what she had with Ezra _was_ one of those big love stories that she loved so much. But apparently, he had the grandest love story with Nicole. And he looked damn happy with her. For some reason, she was unable to get behind this love story. She wanted to be selfless and be happy that he found happiness with somebody, but that clearly wasn't the case.

Shortly after, Liam returned to the table with freshly washed hands, breaking her trail of thought. She forced a smile at him. It wasn't that she wasn't happy to be here with Liam— she was. He was loads of fun, and he was just all-around a really great guy. But the fact that Nicole and Ezra were right there, having a wonderful little date night, was extremely unsettling. She needed to find a way to get rid of how irked she felt so that she could just focus on her first date with Liam and have a good time. Because she knew that she could have a good time with him. They had tons in common, and he was extremely sweet.

"Hey. You okay?" he asked, raising his eyebrows with concern in his voice.

"Of course," she answered, nodding her head. "So, do you like silent films?"

Liam grinned. "You're damn right I do. I used to watch them with my little sister all the time! I'd be more than happy to go see one with you sometime. It's kinda rare to find people who are into them these days, so… I'm always ecstatic when I find somebody else who loves them as much as I do."

Aria smiled at him. Maybe this wouldn't be as hard as she thought. He was so easy to talk to that she was able to distract herself from Ezra and Nicole quite easily.

* * *

Spencer

Spencer felt the guilt hit again as she pulled her sweaty body away from Toby's. She reached over to the floor, pulling his shirt on, as well as her own underwear. She climbed back into his hotel bed, turning over to analyze the expression on his face. After the scene that happened on campus, neither of them thought that they would wind up in bed together again. But Spencer came back over to Toby's hotel room to talk about everything, and before they knew it, they were kissing fiercely… and one thing led to another, so they had sex yet again.

"Toby?"

"Hmm?" he looked over at her. He seemed to be dwelling, and that concerned Spencer. She felt like there was something on his mind the whole time. The sex was still good, but she definitely felt like his mind was somewhere else.

"You okay?" she asked.

"Of course," he responded. He turned to her and offered her a weak smile. He leaned in, pecking her lips gently.

She knew that he was still dwelling. "Toby…" she tilted her head to the side. "What is on your mind?"

He stared at the floor silently, clearly dwelling hard. Spencer reached over to touch his back, and rubbed it gently. Finally, he turned his head to look at her again. His facial expression was apologetic, and that made Spencer realize that there was probably bad news coming for her. That was the expression that was always on his face when he had to tell her something that he didn't want to tell her.

"I think that this was a mistake," he confessed, biting his lip. He looked so sorry about it that Spencer couldn't even be angry with him. But she was definitely hurt about it.

"A… mistake?" she questioned, disappointed. "Why?"

"To be honest, Spencer, I feel like we're still not on the same page, and… too much has changed between us for this to work out," he sighed. "I know you want me to believe that what happened today with that other guy isn't important, and I want to believe it, too, but… we both know that it is. You have clearly have to had felt _something_ for him in order to kiss him. People don't just kiss for no reason. They kiss because they have feelings for each other, or at least are attracted to each other."

"He's… unimportant," she told him. "What did you expect me to do? Not try and move on from you in all the time that we were apart?"

He shook his head. "That's not what I said, and you know it. You're allowed to try and move on. We broke up, and we broke up for a reason. But, I came back here for you, and you only. I did try to move on from you back home, but I realized that I'm not over you, Spencer. And I wanted to see if you were having the same problem as I was, but… it looks like you did move on to me. And that's okay. It's not your fault for falling for somebody." There was a sadness in his eyes that was killing Spencer. She didn't know how to justify or explain herself to him. There seemed to be no adequate way to say what she wanted. "Our timing just isn't right," he continued. "I imposed too much on you by showing up out of nowhere. You have a life here. And I guess… I guess I just don't fit into the picture."

"That's not true," she shook her head. "Toby, I want you in my life."

"It's not the right time for this, and you know it," he sighed. "But that doesn't mean that I don't want you in my life. We're always gonna be friends, right?"

She pressed her lips together. It felt like a lie, and it probably was one. There was no way that they could manage a "friendship." He was going to continue with his life in Rosewood, and she was going to continue with hers in D.C. They didn't remain friends after the first time they broke up, although they told each other that they would be. They talked occasionally, but it was more like acquaintances than anything else.

"So… you're going home?" Spencer asked, swallowing hard.

She didn't want him to go back to Rosewood. Once he left, he was really gone. It would be more years of them apart, and she didn't know the next time he would come to see her— _if_ he would ever come to see her, that was. He probably "learned his lesson" from this trip that showing up uninvited wasn't always the best idea. A lot of things had changed in their lives.

"I guess so," he answered. "I'll probably get the next flight out of here tomorrow."

"Are you sure about this?" she asked. "You can stay, you know."

"I can, but… it's not my place," he shook his head. "I want you to be happy, Spencer, and… I can tell that all I'm doing is making things harder for you… confusing you even more. I got the feeling that that guy really likes you, and he deserves a chance. What if he's the one?"

Spencer scoffed. "You don't really believe that, do you?"

"You never know," he shrugged his shoulders. "But this doesn't have to be the end for us. You can call me anytime, and I'll always answer. Maybe if our timing is right the next time we see each other, we can see where things go from there."

Spencer felt her eyes growing watery, but she didn't want to cry. She hated how her heart was aching right now— and she wanted Toby more than anything. Everything he was saying just made her want him more. Before Toby came back, she could actually see herself with Bryan, maybe even developing a relationship with him. But now, her mind was moving in a different direction. She was falling back into old habits.

"You won't forget about me, right?" she asked sadly, fighting back her tears.

"Spence…" he chuckled. "I could never forget about you. I'm right in Rosewood. And you heard me, right? You can call me if you want to."

"I will," she said. "I swear I will. We're not going to let what happened last time happen again. We're going to stay friends. You're too important to me to let go of."

Toby smiled at her. Slowly, he leaned in and pressed his lips against hers, this time for a much longer time, and his mind wasn't drifting off elsewhere. He was focused on her, and he was so sure that he loved her. His heart was aching so badly. He didn't want to let her go, but it felt like the right thing to do. She seemed to have everything going well for her until he showed up in her life again, and he didn't want to be _that_ guy in her life.

"I'll get going back to campus," she announced, standing up from the bed. "You'll call me when you're leaving tomorrow, right?"

"Of course," he answered, nodding his head.

"Good," she said. She laughed quietly. "Also, I'm keeping this shirt. No contesting."

"I wasn't gonna contest," he chuckled.

Reluctantly, Spencer headed back to the Georgetown campus. It pained her to know that that was the last time that she would see Toby in person for at least a little while. As she backed out of his hotel room, she was contemplating just running back inside and telling him that she needed him and wanted him so badly. But the part of her with self-control forced her to just keep on walking away without looking back.

And eventually, she made it back to campus. She sighed sadly as she walked down the dorm hallway towards her room. When she looked up, she nearly jumped back: Bryan was standing there right outside of her dorm room.

Bryan was calm and collected— the complete opposite of what Spencer was expecting him to be like. There was no anger or frustration on his face. She felt relieved that he wasn't icing her out completely. It was the same day that everything went down, and he had already come back to talk to her. He smiled at her weakly as she came closer.

"Hey," he greeted huskily.

"Hey," she greeted back, biting her lip.

"You got time to talk?" he asked.

She nodded her head. "Of course."

"Good. I'm glad," he said, scratching his head. He sighed and continued, "Look… I think I owe you an apology for how I reacted today. It was totally uncalled for, and you didn't deserve that. I just thought that you should hear that."

She shook her head, laughing quietly. "You don't owe me anything, and I totally _did_ deserve that. Let's not pretend like what I did was okay."

His face turned a bit sour, but just for a brief moment. Spencer figured that he didn't really want to think about her sleeping with somebody else.

"Well, you were sorta right, I guess," he shrugged his shoulders. "We never defined anything. We were never exclusive. We never made it clear that we shouldn't be seeing other people."

"Right…" she muttered. "I'm sorry, Bryan."

"Don't be," he smiled. "We didn't define it before, but… what do you think about defining it now?"

She raised her eyebrows. "Are you… sure? Maybe you're not thinking clearly."

"No, I _am_ ," he assured her. "I'm thinking very clearly, Spencer: I like you. A lot. And I'm not going to let one little mistake ruin that, so I'm here, and I'm giving you a second chance. We can make things right this time, and we can make things work. But only if you want to try."

She was in disbelief. "You're _really_ forgiving me? I don't want to sugarcoat anything. I screwed up really badly. I slept with another guy. And he wasn't just some stranger. He's my ex-boyfriend."

She saw that he got jittery when he said that. It was clearly bothering him.

"Well, I'm not happy about it, but I'm willing to give you another chance," he told her. "Won't you just take it already?"

She was about to object again, because there was just no way that he was "all good" with this right after it happened. Why would he want to _date_ her after finding out that she slept with her ex-boyfriend? It seemed unrealistic, and she wanted to keep on arguing with him about that. But she decided to let it go, because she was thinking about what Toby had said to her earlier: he told her to give him a chance to be the one.

Bryan was a good guy, but she had no idea if he was _the one_. She had no idea if _anybody_ was the one. She was just trying to figure things out as she went along. She didn't know how hard she would end up falling for Bryan in the long run, or if she would find out that it wasn't worth it, and end up running back into Toby's arms. But she was going to do what Toby wanted her to do: give Bryan a chance to show her what they could be.

And maybe she'd be surprised…

"I'm in if you are," she smiled.

His eyes lit up.

"Really?" he grinned. "I thought that you were going to say no to me!"

"How could I?" she smiled back. "It's really big of you to give me a second chance after what I did to you. You're a good guy, Bryan. I appreciate that about you."

He grinned wider. "Well, I'll plan something for us to do together tomorrow night. But for now, I should probably get going. I said all I needed to say."

"Alright," she nodded her head. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah," he nodded back. But before he even began to walk away, he said, "I might've said all I needed to say, but I didn't _do_ all I needed to do."

Spencer furrowed her eyebrows, confused. "What do you mean?"

Bryan took a step towards her and kissed her gently and quickly. She was hesitant, but she kissed him back. It was short and sweet, and over before she knew it. He smiled at her as he backed away slowly.

"See you tomorrow, killer."

"See you tomorrow."

* * *

Hanna

It was almost the end of the workday, and Hanna was not into her work at all. She was absentmindedly doodling something in her sketchbook while staring off to the side, occasionally glancing at the clock. Alexander didn't have any strict rules about her clocking out, but she wanted to wait until Jordan finished his work. She glanced outside the glassy door, and saw Caleb standing there, near one of the women on the publicity team. Hanna raised her eyebrows when she saw the girl reaching over and placing her hand on Caleb's chest, almost certainly in a flirtatious manner. Caleb reacted somewhat hesitantly; he looked like he wanted to step back. He turned his head to the side and saw Hanna staring at him from inside of her office, and a smirk formed on his face. He turned his head back to the girl, now responding with much more enthusiasm. He leaned so dangerously close to her that Hanna wondered if he was going to kiss her right there.

But he didn't kiss her. Instead, he whispered something that Hanna wished she could've heard. She peeled her eyes away from the sight of them, not wanting to give Caleb any satisfaction. She figured that he was still bitter because she called him out for getting all jealous when she kissed Jordan. She tried so hard to avoid it, but she ended up looking back outside her door. When she did, the girl was gone, and Caleb was alone. He looked back over at Hanna, and the faint smugness on his face sent a wave of irritation through her. She pressed her lips together, refusing to look at him any longer.

Apparently, he was having fun with this, because he pushed the door and came into her office.

He tilted his head to the side. "I've finished all the tasks that I wanted to get done for the day, so… I'm thinking of heading out early tonight."

"Oh, really?" she raised her eyebrows. "You've got something that's more important than work?"

He scoffed. It was the perfect time to take a jab at her. "Well, yeah, actually… I do have something more important than work. I've got a date tonight. And I don't know about you, but _I_ know that relationships are more important than work."

She arched her eyebrows downwards. She wasn't just irritated anymore. She was _angry_ — angry that he had the nerve to say something like that. She didn't think that this had become so personal.

"I know what you're doing, Caleb."

He played dumb, giving her the best clueless look he could. "I don't know what you're talking about. I'm not _doing_ anything. I've taken care of my essential work, and I'd like to take a girl out. There's a nice little restaurant nearby."

She rolled her eyes. "Well, good for you, then. Enjoy your _date_. I'll continue with my work."

"You were always really good at that, weren't you?"

Hanna, who had been staring at the sketchbook in front of her to make it seem like she started working again, looked over at the wall when he said that. She bit her lip. She realized that she had really hit a nerve with him recently, and she knew that she was entirely to blame. She was the one who had been trying to make him mad.

"Well, have a good evening, Hanna. Danielle is waiting for me."

Hanna silently watched him as he backed out of her office. He shut the door, disappearing from her sight. She turned her head away from the door, staring at the wall instead. She sighed quietly, running a hand through her blonde hair. She knew that he said everything that he did to personally attack her— it was about their relationship.

 _"Hey!" Hanna greeted, emerging in their apartment. She shut the door behind her, shed her designer coat, and tossed it onto the couch. Caleb was silent; he was sitting on the couch, staring at the ground with extreme focus. Hanna raised her eyebrows. "Caleb?"_

 _He finally turned his head and looked at her. There was so much disappointment in his eyes. Hanna immediately knew that something was wrong. She was trying to think of what she could have done to offend him— she just wanted to tell him about all the progress she was making in her internship. Hanna walked towards the couch and sat down next to him. She put her hand on the back of his neck, hoping that she could coax him into talking to her._

 _"Hey…" she said quietly, rubbing his neck gently. "Talk to me."_

 _He shifted in his seat, sitting up straight instead of slouching._

 _"How many times are you gonna do this?" he asked with frustration in his voice, yet the question came off in such a calm, quiet manner. "We've talked about this time after time… after time. And I'm getting damn sick of it, Hanna."_

 _"Is this about—" she began._

 _"_ Yes. _Of course this is about that," he snapped. "I called you, and you told me that you would be back by seven. So, I made a reservation at Fusion for eight, 'cause I wanted to surprise you. We haven't had much time together in a while, so I wanted to do something special… spend some time with you… feel like it was old times again… because that's what you do when you're in a relationship, Hanna— you make time for each other." He scoffed. "Do you know what time it is right now?"_

 _"It's twelve thirty," she answered quietly, reading the time off of the digital clock on the table next to the couch. She squeezed one of his shoulders. "Caleb, I'm so, so, sorry… I had no idea that you made a dinner reservation, and… things just got really busy there. I can't say no—"_

 _"But you_ can _," he shook his head. "You have to stand up for yourself with your boss. Or at least, you could've given me a call and told me that you weren't going to make it home at the time that you said you would." He sighed, "But either way, it doesn't matter. You clearly are prioritizing this internship over our relationship."_

 _"That's not true!" she cried. "Caleb, I love you… you know that. And I thought that you would understand that I'm trying to build a career for myself! This internship is going to be so good for my career… Surrounded by friends like Spencer, I never thought that I would be able to be successful like them, but I'm finally finding my own chance to do something with my life. And yeah, it's a bit demanding of a job, but it'll be worth it in the end—"_

 _"Whatever," he cut her off. "It's getting late, and I'm getting tired. I'm guessing that I'll only see you at midnight tomorrow, right?"_

 _"Caleb,_ please _," she pleaded. "Don't be like this."_

 _"Am I wrong for being upset that my girlfriend is always bailing on me?" he raised his eyebrows. "I don't know how much more patient I can be with you. I have a job, too, Hanna, but I don't let it get in the way of us. Forgive me for missing you…"_

 _She stood up as well, stepping closer to him. She put her hands on his cheeks, but he avoided her eyes, staring at the floor instead._

 _"Look at me…" she told him, stroking his cheeks gently._

 _He gave in, looking into her blue eyes, knowing that he was probably going to give in and forget about it. When she looked at him like that, he didn't know if he could stay angry for much longer._

 _"I know that I've been really busy balancing school and the internship, and I know that it's putting a strain on our relationship, but it's not gonna be like this forever," she promised him. "I already told Kris way in advance about our trip to Europe. We're going to spend so much time together there. We'll be able to find each other again."_

 _He couldn't help it— he ended up smiling like a fool. He placed his hands on her waist, pulling her closer to him. Their faces were almost touching. Their Europe plans were the only thing that was giving him hope._

 _"We're going to Europe," he smiled._

 _"Yeah, we are," she smiled back. "And nothing can keep us from each other when we're there. No school, no work, no Kris… just me and you, traveling through Europe together."_

 _"Me and you… traveling through Europe together," he repeated breathily._

 _"You can bet your ass that we're going to have the time of our lives there," she grinned. "Food from all over the continent… waking up in each other's arms…"_

 _"Sex everyday," he joked._

 _"Definitely," she laughed. "I'm thinking that sex in Europe is a lot better than sex here, don't you think?"_

 _"I think so, too," he chuckled, finally feeling hopeful again._

 _He was waiting there in their apartment for Hanna that night with the intention of giving her a piece of his mind, and going to sleep angrily. But of course, as always, he ended up forgiving her, and listening to whatever hopeful words she gave him. All he could do now was think about their trip to Europe— it was so reassuring. He would have Hanna to himself for weeks. He felt like he had barely seen her lately, and it bummed him out immensely._

 _"But I think we need something to compare the European sex to, don't you think?" he flirtatiously joked, rubbing up and down her waist._

 _"We most certainly do."_

 _Caleb leaned closer, closing the distance between their faces. He pressed his lips against her, giving her a gentle kiss. She kissed back, moving her hands upwards, running through his messy brown hair. As they were kissing, they backed towards their bedroom. Caleb pushed her down on the bed, climbing on top of her. They moved back towards the pillows._

 _"Do you have…?" she began to ask, pulling back from his lips._

 _"Yeah, of course," he responded._


	7. Chapter 7

7

Aria

Sitting on his bed, Liam leaned his back against the wall, running a hand through his hair in frustration. He had dropped Aria back at her Hollis dorm room, and then headed back to his place. And frankly, he was damn frustrated with himself. They had been having a pretty nice time at dinner; it was a good first date, and Liam would like to think that they would have another. _But_ , he had the perfect opportunity to kiss her, and he didn't take it.

 _"Here it is... Thanks for the ride back."_

 _"Of course. I'm happy to drive you back," Liam smiled sweetly. He got out of the car and opened the door for her, like a gentleman would. "It's pretty dark outside, so... why don't I walk you back to your dorm room?"_

 _Aria smiled. "I wouldn't mind that at all."_

 _"Good."_

 _Liam shut the door for her, and then locked his car. He walked by Aria's side, biting his lip. He didn't know why he suddenly couldn't think of anything good to say to her after they had been talking endlessly throughout their dinner. They walked up the stairs of the building, reaching her floor. They kept on walking until they reached her room. She stopped there, and turned around to face him with a smile on her face._

 _"Well, this is mine... so... thanks for walking me back."_

 _"Yeah, yeah! No problem, of course. Any time."_

 _Aria giggled quietly. "Um, well, I had a wonderful time tonight with you, Liam."_

 _"So did I. You're a pleasure to be around."_

 _"So are you..."_

 _Liam swallowed hard. They were standing so close to each other— it was just the perfect position for him to lean in and place a kiss on her lips. It could've been perfect: slow, romantic, great timing. He stared right into her eyes, scanning for some type of sign that told him to take the chance and just kiss her. It wouldn't be out of place at all, would it? She had wanted to go on a date with him. They had been texting constantly recently. She had to like him, right? She had to want this kiss? There was no reason for him not to kiss her, and based on the look in her eyes at that moment, it seemed like she wanted him to kiss her, too._

 _But he didn't do it. He didn't kiss her._

 _"Alright. Well... good night. I'll... um, I'll call you tomorrow... or something like that."_

 _Aria's eyes widened just a bit. She seemed surprise that he didn't kiss her, and that he backed up from her. He shot her an awkward smile before turning around and heading out of her dorm floor. She scratched her head, wondering if she had done something wrong, or if he was just too nervous to kiss her. She shrugged her shoulders, turned around, and stepped inside of her dorm room. She figured there was no use in calling him back just to figure out why he didn't kiss her._

Emily - Alison

Emily woke up the next morning with a killer headache. Groggily, she opened her eyes, clutching on to her scalp tightly, trying to relieve some of the pain. She knew how painful a hangover was, but she ended up drinking mercilessly every time anyway. This time, there was a different problem: she was waking up with her body tangled inside of a sea of white sheets that were definitely not the ones in her dorm room. This was most certainly not her dorm room bed. She was only glad to find that there was no naked girl sleeping next to her— just an empty other half of the bed. Relieved, she took a deep breath and sat up on the bed, scanning around the room. It was a hotel room— one that she had already been in before.

"You're finally awake."

Emily turned her head and saw Alison DiLaurentis standing there with a bottle of water in her hands.

"I thought you could use some water to cure that nasty hangover... you were pretty wasted last night."

Emily remained silent with her lips pressed together as Alison approached the bed and slid the bottle of water into her hands. Emily didn't remember much from last night; she knew she had gotten really drunk, but that was to be expected from her at most parties. She did remember that Alison had been flirting with Warren, and that they were getting pretty close at the party. And then, Emily's drinks kept multiplying. Before she knew it, her mind was lost with alcohol.

And although now was most _certainly_ not the time to be thinking this way, Emily was thinking about how it was a good sign that she was there with Alison; it meant that she probably hadn't slept with Warren. And Emily _wished_ so badly that she wasn't thinking about something so superficial, but the thought wouldn't leave her mind. The thought of Alison hooking up with him was unsettling in her mind. It was undeniably a part of the reason that she indulged so heavily in alcohol the night before. More than anything, she wanted to stop thinking about how close they were... how he was touching her... how she was flirting back... how they were kissing... and how they would probably be ripping each other's clothes off by the end of the night.

Forcing herself back into reality, Emily smiled weakly at Alison. "Thanks."

"Yeah... of course."

Emily twisted the cap off of the plastic water bottle and brought it to her lips, taking a long, refreshing sip. When she set the water bottle down on the nightstand next to the hotel bed, she felt that Alison's gaze was still on her. Emily furrowed her eyebrows. Alison was looking at her with such sympathy in her eyes... as if she _pitied_ her. And Emily kept wondering if she had done something totally embarrassing while she was drunk. Sometimes she got a little out of hand when she had too much to drink, and the last thing she wanted was for Alison to see her like that. It was the whole reason that she had told herself that she would refrain from over drinking at Warren's party. But of course, she ended up breaking her promise to herself all because of something so silly.

"You okay?" Emily asked.

Alison laughed breathily. "I should be asking _you_ that."

Emily scratched her head, confused. "Did I do something last night? I mean, I... I can get a little weird after drinking. So... you should probably disregard anything."

Alison blinked. "No, everything is fine."

Emily sighed. "Is this about what happened last night before I started drinking? Because... I'm sorry, Ali. I know it looked bad—"

"You didn't do anything wrong. You're having fun while you're in college. There's honestly nothing wrong with that," Alison faked a smile. "I just... last night... I realized that this really just isn't my place to be right now. I don't even know why I came here to begin with. I've got a life back in Rosewood; I've got obligations and... people I need to _care_ for. I have classes and family and... my whole life is there right now. So, I think it would be best if I got a flight home."

"Oh," Emily nodded her head, disappointed. "I understand... and I'm sorry to hear that you're leaving."

"Me too," Alison nodded her head back. "Maybe another time..."

"Yeah," Emily stared at the floor. "But, thanks for dropping by, I guess. And thanks for taking me here instead of leaving me there to pass out," she joked bitterly.

"It was nothing," Alison shrugged her shoulders. "I was going to take you back to your dorm room, but I was already exhausted... it was already pretty late. So, I'm sorry."

"Oh, that's no problem. I mean, thanks for bringing me somewhere at all..." Emily smiled. She furrowed her eyebrows. "Where did you sleep last night?"

"The couch," Alison answered, worried. "And I already know what you're going to say about that... so I just want to let you know that it was no problem, and that you shouldn't worry about it. Hotel couches are pretty comfortable."

Emily stared at her in disbelief. She knew that Alison was just saying that to make it seem like it was no problem.

"So, you really want to leave so quickly?" Emily asked. "I mean, you just got here and all..."

"Yeah, I know, but I've got some important things I should deal with back home," she bit her lip.

"Really?" Emily raised her eyebrows. "Like what? 'Cause why'd you even come here for just one day if you have things you need to deal with at home?"

Alison's lips were pressed together. She shifted her tongue in her mouth, pondering a proper response, but she couldn't think of any excuses. She didn't want to blatantly _lie_ to Emily and make up a horrible emergency— she would just worry the poor girl more.

Emily sighed, running a hand through her hair. "Well, I'm guessing that the silence means that you _don't_ have anything urgent to return to in Rosewood, and that you just want to get the hell out of here as quickly as possible. I'm surprised, because most people end up falling in love with California, but... I guess it just wasn't for you. That, or you're mad that I haven't been the most welcoming towards you? Because I really am sorry, Ali. I didn't mean to come off as rude. I guess I was just annoyed that you were paying more attention to Warren than me last night."

Alison came closer to the bed and took a seat next to Emily.

"Truth is, I _don't_ feel very welcome here. And it's not really your fault. It's not because of anything you said... I mean, you were pretty nice to me. I guess I just feel like you've got your own life here, and I don't fit in anymore. I don't know what I was thinking when I came here and thought that I could just waltz back in like I never left, and that we could recreate old memories," Alison confessed.

Stunned, Emily shook her head. "Ali— you've got it all wrong."

"Do I?" Alison raised her eyebrows. "Because you're not the same person that you were before, and either am I. I mean, come on, Em... you've apparently become the _school player_. I have no idea what I was even expecting when I came here. I guess I thought nothing would be different and everything would be the same. But out of all people, _I_ should know that time changes people."

Emily swallowed hard. "I want you here, okay? I promise... and if you truly do have stuff to deal with in Rosewood, fine. But at least let me take you out today? We didn't really get the chance to hang out last night after everything happened. So, how about one day of just us hanging out? No parties, no drama..."

Alison smiled. "Just us."

Emily smiled back. "Yeah. Just us. Like old times."

Hanna

"I'll see you after work today, love," Jordan smiled sweetly. He pressed a gentle and short kiss upon Hanna's lips before walking in the other direction. Hanna glanced back one last time at Jordan before heading into her office, feeling surprisingly content with her life. She hadn't felt this content in a long time— it was as if everything was finally falling into place. She had a loving, supportive, and handsome boyfriend who she could easily see herself spending the rest of her life with, and she was finally getting her career into place and making a name for herself in the industry. The only thing that was really bothering her was this irritating "feud" she seemed to be having with _Caleb Rivers_. But she didn't want that to ruin her happiness. So, she tried to force herself to stop thinking about him and how he was flirting with _Danielle_. She just would ignore it, and wouldn't let it get to her.

But when she entered her office, it was as if the world didn't want her to be able to ignore it; the world wanted to test her patience and make her squirm. Caleb was sitting inside of her office, across the table from Alexander.

"Hey, guys..." she raised her eyebrows. "How's it going?"

"Wonderful," Alexander smiled, standing up from his seat. "I was just talking to Mister Rivers about some stuff I'd like you two to work on together. We were waiting for you so that we could inform you about our plans!"

"Plans?" Hanna questioned.

"Yes," Alexander nodded his head. "I'd like you to work with Caleb on creating the perfect website to launch your styles."

"Oh, really?" Hanna bit her lip.

"Yeah, he's got a lot of talent, although he's got a slight problem with being punctual," Alexander joked.

Caleb chuckled quietly under his breath. "That was just one time. I haven't been a repeat offender. You know that."

"I'm just messing around with you," Alexander grinned. "So, you two need to get working quickly. I'd like to have at least a rough idea by this Friday. And I could've made this a solo mission for Caleb, but I don't want your website to blindly be created. This brand is all about you, Hanna. You've got to be a part of the designing. And, you're a top-notch designer anyway, so I'm assuming that your combined efforts will create one damn bad-ass website. Don't disappoint me. I've got high hopes for you two. Are we all clear? I've got some calls that I need to make soon."

"Understood," Hanna nodded her head. "Thank you."

"Of course," Alexander said. He stepped out of Hanna's office, leaving Hanna and Caleb in there together alone.

As soon as Alexander was gone, Caleb tilted his head to the side with a smirk on his face.

"Looks like you're stuck with me, huh?" he smirked harder.

Hanna rolled her eyes. "I'm not in the mood for any of your games."

"Games? There aren't any _games_ , Hanna," Caleb shook his head, throwing his feet up onto her office table. "You heard what the bossman said— he wants us to work together on designing the website. I don't know about you, but I'm just trying to do my job."

"Yeah? Well, so am I. So, if we're going to make this work, then we need to learn to be civil with each other," Hanna told him.

"I don't have to learn to be civil if I'm already being civil. I don't see anything _un_ civil about the way we're acting right now," Caleb smirked.

"Alright, fine. I'll be straight with you: we need to drop this bitter ex attitude. It's getting a little annoying. I know we're both still at least a little bit upset about the way things went down between us all those years ago, but maybe it's time to bury the hatchet and act like adults. Don't you think?" Hanna asked, tilting her head to the side. "And I know what you're going to do; you're going to try to make some witty remark about how you don't have a bitter ex attitude, but it's pretty damn clear that you do. I'll even admit that I've been like that since I found out that you're working here, too."

Caleb pressed his lips together. He didn't like being called out about this. He knew that everything that she was saying had truth to it, and he hated that.

"Whatever," he shrugged his shoulders. "Are you ready to start, or...?"

"Yeah, fine," Hanna rolled her eyes, and took a seat at the table as well. "So, where do we begin?"

Caleb shrugged his shoulders again. "I'll be working on the code for the website today, so I'll have to let you know when I've got samples of potential layouts. We probably want to make something that's personal to your designs, so I was thinking that you could maybe ask Alexander to set up some sort of mini-photoshoot or something so that we can get pictures of your looks on the website."

Hanna smiled. "A photoshoot? That's actually a great idea."

He raised his eyebrows. "What? Did you expect me to only have stupid ideas or something?"

She tilted her head to the side. "Caleb, that was supposed to be a compliment. You know I think you're so smart."

"Well, uh... thanks, then..." he scratched his head. "I'm gonna work on the code now. You should go set up the photoshoot stuff, alright?"

"Alright," Hanna nodded her head.

Emily - Alison

"So, how drunk was I last night?"

Alison tapped her fingernails against the wine glass in front of her.

" _Completely_ wasted," she replied, laughing quietly under her breath. She brought the wine glass to her lips, taking a short sip, and then setting it back down on the dinner table in front of them. "I don't think I've ever gotten the chance to see you so drunk before. It's... an experience, to say the least."

"An _experience_ , huh?" Emily questioned, raising her eyebrows. "What do you mean by that?"

"I don't know. It's... what I said. An experience," Alison shrugged her shoulders. "You say a lot of things, I guess. Maybe you don't mean them all, but you say them."

Emily, now even more intrigued, leaned closer across the dinner table. "What did I say, Ali? You've gotta tell me now..."

"I'm not gonna do that," she refused, shaking her head.

"And why not?" Emily demanded, although she knew she sounded extremely childish when it came out of her mouth. "I said it, didn't I? Why can't I know what I said?"

Alison was contemplating whether she should debrief Emily on her drunken ramblings. She _really_ didn't want to do that, as it would definitely open a can of worms that Alison wasn't sure either one of the girls was actually ready for. But luckily for her, the waitress returned to their table with the check, ending that conversation... at least temporarily. Alison smiled at the waitress, taking the bill from her.

"This one's on me," Alison told her.

Emily shook her head. "No way, Ali. You're the guest. You're visiting _me_. I'll pay, okay? I can afford one dinner."

"Maybe you can afford it, but you shouldn't have to. You have to worry about paying hefty out-of-state tuition, and I've only got to pay in-state. And I've got plenty of money to spare after... my mom," Alison swallowed hard. "It really is fine, I promise."

"We'll split the check, then," Emily told her. "I'm not letting you pay the entire thing. You didn't leave me for dead after I got unnecessarily wasted, so... I owe you this, at least. I promised you a fun day, didn't I?"

"Okay, fine. I'll accept splitting it," she nodded her head. She looked at the number on the paper, and then pulled approximately half the cash out of her purse, setting it down. Emily got the other half out of her wallet, and set it down as well.

As they waited for the waitress to return and collect the check and the dishes, Alison smiled at Emily. She tilted her head.

"You really pulled through today, you know that?" Alison laughed. "I honestly thought that I would be flying back to Rosewood today because you didn't want me here. I was about ready to book my ticket home. But I'm really glad that you stopped me. I mean, lunch... an afternoon at the Getty Villa... a nice dinner... it's really been a wonderful day, and I can't thank you enough for that. _This_ is exactly what I was looking for... exactly what I needed and wanted while I was dying of boredom in Rosewood. Coming here was far from a mistake."

"I'm glad you stayed, too," Emily told her. "You know... you're always welcome here, Ali. You never have to feel like you're invading my life. You're not."

"I'll take note of that," Alison smiled harder. "So... are we heading back after this? I'm pretty exhausted."

"Really, Ali? _Already_?" Emily questioned.

"What do you mean?" Alison laughed, shaking her head. "We've been doing stuff all day."

"It's barely into the evening yet!" Emily protested. "Come on, Ali! If I've only got you here for one day, we've gotta make the most of every moment. Besides, the night is still _very_ young."

"Alright. Well, I'm more than fine with doing something else, I guess," Alison told her. "What did you have in mind?"

"I was thinking that we could go to the beach," Emily suggested. "I mean, you're in California, after all... It's like 300 miles to get down to Myrtle Beach from Rosewood. It's no fun to have to make a giant trip every time you want to head to the beach. Out here, we've got beaches just minutes away."

"I mean, the beach is fun and all... but didn't we just go to one yesterday?" Alison asked. "I'm not against beaches, but I'm actually thinking that the party scene isn't what I need. Today, away from all the parties, has been way more fun than yesterday."

"There's no way in hell I'm taking you to another beach party," Emily laughed, shaking her head. "We're not going to the same one. I know a better one... nobody will be there. It's really beautiful, I swear. And it's... not as crowded."

Alison bit her lip. "I'll take your word."

"Good," Emily said.

Once the waitress took the check and cleared the table, the two girls hurried out of the restaurant. The evening sky was undeniably gorgeous— a colorful mix of purple, orange, and blue. The sun was setting, and the thought of watching the sunset on a quiet beach with Alison excited Emily. Emily drove them to Westward Beach, which was a little bit longer of a drive than the one they took the previous day to Warren's beach party. While Alison was getting out of the car, Emily quickly snapped her phone out and typed up a short text to Lexi.

 _I'm gonna be out late. W Alison._

Normally, Emily didn't care to inform her roommate about her whereabouts, but she had previously made plans to continue the apartment search with Lexi that night. Emily just thought that she would let her know. And she was sure that Lexi would understand, anyway. She'd probably just be happy that Emily was spending her time with an old close friend, rather than getting her ass drunk at some terrible party and hooking up with some random, usually-blonde college girl.

"You coming?" Alison asked, turning around.

"Yeah. One sec," Emily nodded her head. She opened the door, and hopped out of her car. "Ready to see this place? I wasn't lying when I said that it's gorgeous."

Alison nodded her head back, following Emily down the steps of the parking lot. Alison kicked her flip flops off and held them in her hands. She found her toes buried in soft, golden grains of sand, and couldn't help but smile at it. With sparkling sands and a gorgeous sky, she had no doubt that Emily was telling her nothing but the truth about this beach. They stood there in the sand together, not walking any further. Alison was hesitant to continue, since Emily had taken an abrupt pause. The swimmer bent down, brushing her hand against the soft sand, picking some of it up in her hand. Alison was confused, but she stayed silent, waiting for Emily to say something first.

"After my dad died, I used to come here often... like, all the time," Emily explained. "It was kinda like my getaway. It's... peaceful."

"I can see why," Alison said sincerely, gazing over at Emily, who was staring at the water intently. "There's like... nobody here. Why is nobody here, anyway?"

"I don't know. It's a bit further away from Pepperdine than the other beaches, so I'm guessing that nobody wants to drive like twenty minutes to have their parties," Emily laughed, shrugging her shoulders. "I'm glad they don't come here, anyway. A part of why I love this place so much is that there's nobody here. It's usually just me and a few other quiet people. They're so quiet that you barely notice that they're here. It really is peaceful."

Alison raised her eyebrows. "Talking down on the party kids? I thought you were one of them. That girl from yesterday made it pretty clear..."

Emily felt a knot in her stomach when Alison said that. She was reminded of that _bad_ part of herself. She really was ashamed of it, but she couldn't bring herself to stop. It was too easy to continue being in that dark place, doing things that made her feel like crap just a day later.

"I'm not proud of some of the things I've done," Emily sighed. "Please, don't think I'm like that... I'm not really like that."

"I know you're not like that, Em," Alison tilted her head to the side. "I _know_ you. The real you."

Emily pressed her lips together. "Well, that kinda has become who I am..."

"No, it's not," Alison shook her head. "You've been through so much crap. No one's blaming you for getting lost and having too many drinks sometimes..."

"What about _all_ the time?" Emily raised her eyebrows. "There are limits to everything. I crossed those limits long ago."

"You don't have to continue doing anything you don't want to do," Alison said. "I know better than anyone that you can change after making bad choices."

Emily nodded her head. "Do you wanna go closer to the water?"

"Sure..."

The two of them continued walking, getting closer to the ocean. The water was crystal clear and blue. It was literally perfect. They sat down next to each other once they were just inches behind the line where the water would hit.

"It really is beautiful," Alison commented. "Thanks for bringing me here instead of letting me make the mistake of going back..."

"Of course. I wanted you to see the best things about this place," Emily told her.

Alison bit her lip. "If I'm being honest with you, the best part of this whole trip was just getting to see you again. 'Cause God, Em... I missed you so much. I can't even tell you how much I missed you because it doesn't give you the real image of how much I did."

"Are you exaggerating?" Emily laughed. "I thought you had everything you wanted in Rosewood. You got to see Charlotte."

"Of course I'm happy with some things, but I don't have everything I want there," Alison shook her head. "In fact, there's one thing I've been missing this whole time, and it's you. I've needed you in my life."

"Yeah?" Emily raised her eyebrows. "Well, you're going back, so... I'm guessing you'll get over this 'I missed you so much' hype soon."

Alison could sense the coldness in her voice, and it was as if all the progress with Emily she thought she had made was gone. She tensed slightly, unsure of what to say next, not wanting to set her off even more. For once in her life, Alison was trying so hard to be careful with her words.

Her silence seemed to have worked. Emily's face softened and her muscles relaxed. "I'm sorry," she apologized softly, turning her head to look at the blonde. "That was... not the right thing to say."

Alison pressed her lips together for a moment, observing the way the gentle gusts of wind pushed Emily's dark hair back. She looked so elegant with the colorful sky light reflecting against her smooth, tanned skin. She was so beautiful, and Alison hated herself for admiring her so much.

"Emily," she said her name softly. "I know I said I didn't want to tell you, but... it's been bugging me all day..."

Emily furrowed her eyebrows. "What?"

"You did say something to me last night..." Alison bit her lip. "You were rambling like crazy, but there was one thing in particular that I just can't forget, and I wanted to know if you meant it, or if it was just the alcohol talking."

"Okay. Shoot." Emily's eyes were filled with curiosity. She was fearful of all the regrettable things she could have said to Alison the previous night. She always seemed to say and do regrettable things that made everything a mess while she was drunk. It was the main reason that she wanted to quit drinking so badly. She told herself that she wouldn't let Alison see her in that terribly drunken state where she made all her mistakes, but after seeing her flirting with Warren, she couldn't help herself. She needed the alcohol to stop herself. She hated herself for depending on alcohol so much.

Alison was hesitant, but she finally found the courage to speak up.

"Last night, you... um... you told me that you're still in love with me."

 _Of course_. Emily was hoping that it wasn't the worst case scenario where she confessed something like that. And honestly, she didn't know _why_ she would say something like that. Of course she loved Alison. How could she not? Emily was about to attempt to play it off as being "in love with her as a friend," but her bad luck didn't end there.

"That's not all," Alison bit her lip. "You told me that you don't want me to leave, and you... kinda tried to... kiss me. But, I didn't let you, of course. I wouldn't do that to you. Not like that..."

"Not like that?" Emily questioned. Out of everything, _that_ was what she was most concerned about. "What do you mean by that? 'Not like that?' Like what, then?"

Alison furrowed her eyebrows. "You were drunk out of your mind, Em. I wasn't going to let you kiss me, or do whatever else you wanted to do. You'd regret that."

Emily wanted to push harder, make her think about her feelings... make her confess that she would be willing to kiss her, at least while they were both sober. But she stopped herself, and sat there in silence. She was the one whose feelings were truly vulnerable— Alison had a lot more on her. She not only had a present-day confession of love, but she also had years of evidence of Emily having feelings for her. All Emily had was a vague recollection of instances that _maybe_ suggested that Alison felt something for her, too.

"So...?" Alison raised her eyebrows. "You didn't mean it or anything then, did you?"

"I don't know," Emily quickly answered, staring at the water in front of her intently. "I mean, of course I don't want you to leave..."

Alison tilted her head to the side. "Yesterday, Em... were you jealous?"

Emily rolled her eyes, refusing to look at Alison. "God, Ali... I'm not playing this game with you again. You want to make fun of me or something?"

"No!" Alison denied, shaking her head. "Of course not! Why would you even say something like that?"

" _Why_? Well, because you had no problem doing it back in high school. Excuse me if I don't believe you're just genuinely concerned if I was jealous about you flirting with somebody," Emily folded her arms. "Why does it even matter if I was jealous or not?"

"I was just wondering."

"Why, though?" Emily demanded. "What do you gain from it? Because if it's for your own enjoyment, then fine, I'll give it to you. You're right. I was jealous as hell watching you flirt around with Warren. I thought you were going to sleep with him, and it made me mad... and sad... and whatever. So, I had too much to drink, as usual, and I might've said something stupid about being in love with you, which of course, I _am_. You _know_ I've never stopped loving you, and you probably like that. You like knowing that I'm still wrapped around your finger after all this time. That's probably why you came back to see me out of all people. So, take your prize: Yeah, I was jealous, and yeah, I'm in love with you."

Alison was stunned by the rush of angry words that came pouring towards her. It wasn't just the bitter tone of Emily's voice— it was the content of her message. She really didn't think that Emily was actually still in love with her. She figured that it was a slip of the tongue after having too much to drink. She did figure that maybe Emily was jealous about her flirting with Warren, but she had no idea that it was like _this_. And now, she felt bad for even bringing it up. Maybe it would have been better to not ask her about what happened while she was drunk.

Emily was too scared to look at her. She spat out her words boldly, taking charge of her feeling, yet she was screaming on the inside, knowing that she had made herself completely vulnerable. She figured that Alison already had a sense of how she felt, but now she said it aloud explicitly. Everything was on the table.

Weakly, Emily said, "Well... the thing is, I can't run around in circles like this anymore, Ali. I need you to tell me if I'm crazy— if everything between us has always just been in my head... Just tell me already, so I can have my peace with it, and I can move on if you never felt anything for me. Tell me if you ever felt anything for me at all. I just wanna hear it from you."

Alison stopped looking down, and instead turned her head, staring right at Emily. Emily sighed, looking down at the floor, but kept her body tilted towards the blonde. And in a rush, Alison pressed her lips against Emily's, startling the tanner girl. She almost jumped back, but soon relaxed herself into the kiss. Alison reached over, pressing her hands on Emily's cheeks, stroking them gently as she kissed the girl harder.

When they finally pulled back from each other, their foreheads remained pressed together. Alison's hands remained on Emily's cheeks.

"You're not crazy," she confessed, swallowing hard. "I have feelings for you, Em... I always have."

Emily's head moved back, shocked. Even after the kiss, she wasn't expecting this. She _never_ expected things to work out with Alison. Alison had always been a dream—a fantasy that she could never really have.

"Ali, don't say something that you don't mean..." Emily bit her lip.

"I mean it, though... I promise," Alison assured her. "The old me would've lied to you and told you that it was all in your head the whole time, but I'm not the same person anymore— you know that. This is just me learning to be honest with you... and myself. Because I never wanted to admit it to myself... I hated myself for feeling something for you... because you deserve better than me. Emily, you're the best person I've ever known... you're the only one I've ever loved."

Emily just sat there, still in shock.

"I love you, Emily," Alison told her. She laughed quietly, shaking her head. "God, it feels so good to finally just say that out loud... I don't have to keep pretending like I don't."

"Ali..." Emily swallowed hard, unsure of what to do or say anymore.

She always doubted Alison's feelings for her. It was so surreal to hear Alison say _I love you_ to her in a romantic sense. And it wasn't teasing or provoking... she seemed to mean it. It felt like it was one of her many dreams.

"You probably have no idea if I'm lying to you or not because of the person I used to be, but... I mean it," Alison said. "And you also probably have no idea what any of this means or what we're gonna do from now on, and I can tell you that I have no clue, too. Normally, I have a plan, but this time, I don't. This time, I was spontaneous. I hopped on a flight to California without thinking what I wanted to get out of this trip. All I really knew is that I wanted to see you again... because you always make everything better. I don't know how long I'm gonna stay or what I'm gonna do, but I do know how I feel about you."

Emily was blushing now.

"This feels like a dream..." she breathed.

"Well, this isn't a dream. This is real," Alison smiled.

She reached over, taking Emily's hand, squeezing it gently. She intertwined their fingers, then stroked her thumb against the back of Emily's hand. She looked up, smiling at Emily.

"I was never gonna invite Warren back to my hotel... but maybe you'd take the invite?" Alison smirked.

Bashfully, Emily nodded, still feeling that the whole night was unreal. Everything was pretty complicated— Alison lived on the other side of the country. But right now, that didn't matter. Emily was finally getting her chance with the girl she had been dreaming of since she was so young. And now? She was going back to Alison's hotel to do something they had only done once before, many years ago.

Spencer

Ever since Bryan had asked her out, Spencer had been thinking about the implications of it. He was looking for a relationship with her, but Spencer wasn't sure if she was looking for a relationship with _him_. Maybe she would have considered it before, but ever since Toby came back, she couldn't help but let her mind fly back to their old relationship; it truly was the best relationship she had ever had. Nothing ever measured up to it. And she knew that if she started dating Bryan, she would just keep on comparing it to her relationship with Toby.

But she owed it to Toby and herself to give Bryan a chance. And Bryan, of course. He was a good guy, and he cared about her a lot. A part of her wondered if what they had could turn into something really good. Bryan was similar to her in a lot of ways. Toby was different from her in a lot of ways. Bryan was interested in so many things that she was, so people would probably think that they were a "perfect match."

She was going to see how things went. She was going to go on that date with Bryan tomorrow night, and try her hardest to get Toby out of her mind during it. Next morning, Toby would be flying out of D.C., heading back to Rosewood.

Hazel had gone out with some other friends that night, so Spencer was alone in her dorm room. She fidgeted with her phone a few times, contemplating giving Toby a call. He said that she could call him any time, but she wasn't sure that he meant _this_ soon... when he hadn't even left D.C. yet. Nonetheless, she was tempted to call him. And no matter what, Toby seemed to be somebody that she just couldn't quit. They always found a way back to each other, so Spencer was afraid that it would end up happening again somehow, even if she gave Bryan a chance. And she didn't know why she was afraid, because that wasn't bad at all in her head. In fact, part of her always wanted to go back to Toby. Sure, it wasn't easy like it would be with Bryan, but it was always good. It always felt like home, even if it was just for a messy, poorly-timed hook-up.

So, she was unable to quit her habit yet another time. She clicked Toby's contact and called him. He picked up rather quickly.

 _"Spencer?"_

 _"Hey... it's me."  
_

 _"Hey... is everything all right?"_

 _"Yeah, I guess. Everything's all right. I just wanted to hear your voice."_

 _He chuckled quietly._

 _"It's good to hear your voice, too."_

 _"You're not annoyed that I'm calling you, are you?"_

 _"Annoyed? What? No, of course not... I'm not annoyed. I'm just... surprised that you called me."_

 _"You told me that I could call any time, didn't you?"_

 _He chuckled again._

 _"Yeah, I guess I did. And I meant it. I just didn't think that you'd call so soon. I mean, I haven't even left yet. I'm still in my hotel room."_

 _"Would it be bad if I said that I wanted to come over to your hotel room right now?"_

 _There was a long pause. Spencer knew she was hitting him with a hard question._

 _"Spencer..."_

 _"Hmm?"_

 _"That probably wouldn't be a good idea."_

 _"I figured."_

 _"Then why'd you ask?"_

 _"Why not? You're still here. I thought I could say goodbye. I don't know when I'll see you again. It could be never."_

 _"Don't talk like that."_

 _"I'm just being realistic."_

 _"Realistic? More like pessimistic..."_

 _"That's subjective."_

 _"Not really. Besides, you know it's a bad idea for you to come over right now."_

 _"And why's that?"_

 _"You know why."_

 _"No, I don't. Tell me."_

 _"I'm sick of saying goodbye to you. And I know if I see you again, I won't want to let you go..."_

 _"Then why are we always saying goodbye?"_

 _"You know why."_

 _"I really don't. Tell me."_

 _"Spencer. Stop playing with me."_

 _"I'm not playing with you."_

 _"We see things so differently. We want different things. And I don't want what I want to hold you back from what you want. And I think... I think he wants the same things as you do. The look in his eyes... it reminds me of you. He's a lot like you, isn't he?"_

 _"Bryan? I... suppose. But does it matter? I want you, isn't that enough?"_

 _"Maybe it is... I don't know. There are so many things about life that I don't know. But I do know that I would hate myself for holding you back from your career... your success... your life. I have always known that Spencer Hastings is destined for greatness. And I can't be the one to hold you back from your full potential."_

 _"I told Bryan that I would go on a date with him."_

 _There was another long pause. She could tell that it was hurting Toby, but he was trying to accept it. And he was going to put on a good front for her, to let her know that it was okay that she was trying to move on, because they both had agreed that she would try things with Bryan._

 _"That's good. I'm happy that you're trying with him."_

 _"Are you?"_

 _"I want you to find yourself. And if in the end, after all that time, you and I still feel the same way about each other... maybe we'll see."_

 _"That sounds unlikely."_

 _"Yeah, but... that's the thing about us, Spencer. Everything that's happened between us is... unlikely. You falling in love with somebody like me... unlikely. But it happened."_

 _"We're pretty unlikely, aren't we?"_

 _"We are."_

 _"Then I'll see you when the dust settles."_

 _"Okay... will you at least promise me that you'll give him a real chance? That you won't just try to get the date over with so that you can be done with it?"_

 _"Yeah. I can promise you that."_

 _"Good. That's really good."_

 _"Good night, Toby."_

 _"Good night, Spencer."_


	8. Chapter 8

8

Hanna

Hanna was just about to leave work that evening, but she was stopped on her way out... by _Caleb_.

"Uh... hey. I was just about to leave. What's up?" she asked.

"Well, I was also just about to leave. But I was gonna grab dinner," he informed her, and she was expecting him to suddenly mention that he was going with Danielle. She was expecting this to be a little teasing game, so she remained quiet and let him do all the talking. "I was wondering if you'd like to join me."

She raised her eyebrows.

"Unless you already have plans with Jordan or something..." he shrugged his shoulders. "That's fine, too. I just thought that we could maybe discuss our plans and everything for the website."

"Outside of work?" she asked.

"Well, I'm hungry, and having dated you for so long, I know that you are, too," he chuckled. He knew that everything he was doing right now was unprofessional, but he couldn't help it.

"I mean... why not?" she gave in. "Jordan and I weren't planning on doing anything in particular tonight. I'll just let him know that I'm having dinner with a co-worker who I'm doing a project with."

"That's not a lie," he reminded her.

That was true— it wasn't a lie. But for some reason, it still felt shady to go out to dinner with Caleb. She still felt like she was lying to Jordan by telling him that she was having dinner with a co-worker who she was working with on a project. That really was what was going to happen, but it was different... Caleb was her ex-boyfriend, and Jordan didn't know that. She and Jordan had always had a healthy, honest, good relationship, and she felt like that was crumbling because she was unable to be honest with him about Caleb. She knew that he would have a lot of questions, and she didn't want to dive into that. But the good thing about Jordan was that he would trust her if she told him straightforwardly. He never got jealous when she hung out with her other ex-boyfriends from college. She even had a drink with Travis one night, and Jordan didn't question her. He trusted her because she always made sure he knew that he had nothing to worry about, and that none of those other boys could change anything.

But none of those other boyfriends was ever as significant as Caleb was. She never dated any of them for as long, and their relationships were never as meaningful. Jordan was the first guy she had dated super long-term since Caleb, and it was the first "serious" relationship since Caleb, too. The others were short-lived relationships, and were more driven by sex and lust. It was different with Jordan. He was the first guy that Hanna had said "I love you" to since Caleb.

Quickly, she typed up a text message and sent it to Jordan: _Going out to dinner w/ a co-worker for a proj. Might be home a little late. See u later tonight maybe. Love you. -H_

She decided that she would have the big Caleb debriefing later.

"Okay. I texted Jordan. Let's go," Hanna said.

Emily - Alison

Emily and Alison could barely keep their hands off of each other once they got out of the car. They held each other close as they went up in the elevator, eager to kiss each other, but decided to wait a little bit longer. Together, they walked to Alison's hotel room door. As Alison reached into her bag to pull out her room's key card, Emily crashed her lips against Alison's, pushing her back against the door.

" _Em_..." Alison breathed, pulling back slightly. "If you keep that up, we'll never get inside."

Emily laughed quietly, restraining herself and allowing Alison to get her key card out. The blonde unlocked the room door, and slowly turned the door knob, still facing Emily. She bit her lip seductively, then reached out to take Emily's hand. Slowly, she backed into the hotel room.

As soon as they were inside, Emily roughly pressed her lips against Alison's. God, she had been waiting for this moment for so damn long, and she was so eager now. She wanted this so badly— to show Alison everything. She wanted to touch Alison everywhere. She had no idea how long she had Alison for anymore, so she was planning on making this night unforgettable. And she assumed that Alison had either been with no other girls or very few, so she was planning on giving her the best experience. The first time they had sex, it was nice, but a lot more gentle. Emily was younger and had a lot less experience. Now, she knew what she was doing, and she was not going to hold anything back.

Emily opened her mouth into the kisses, and Alison did the same. She pushed her tongue inside of Alison's mouth, gripping onto her waist tightly. She pushed Alison's jacket off of her shoulders, letting it drop to the floor. Next, she grabbed the hem of Alison's tank top, pulling it over her head, then throwing it onto the floor alongside her jacket. She took a step back, admiring her shirtless body, left only with a lacy white bra. Dominantly, she pushed Alison back onto the hotel bed, and climbed above her. She placed wet kisses down her jawline, then her neck, and soon in the area between her breasts. She rubbed her hands against Alison's exposed sides, then brought her lips down to her stomach. She placed softer kisses on Alison's stomach.

" _Emily_ ," Alison moaned softly, getting a rush from the feeling of Emily kissing her body.

And Emily felt a rush from hearing Alison moaning her name. It was something that she only thought would happen again in her wildest fantasies. She reached a little more down and unbuttoned Alison's denim shorts, but didn't take them off. Instead, she took both of Alison's hands and intertwined their fingers, then brought her lips back up to Alison's and kissed her again. Alison let go of one of Emily's hands, and struggles to reach high enough to push Emily's flannel off. Emily chuckled quietly, and assisted her by pushing her own flannel off of her shoulders, and tossing it onto the floor. Next, she pulled her own tank top over her head, leaving her in only her black bralette.

Alison, who was still laying flat on the bed, reached up and ran her hand down Emily's toned stomach. Emily smiled at her, bending back down and connecting her lips with Alison's again. She started kissing her way down Alison's body again, this time actually dragging her denim shorts off when she reached that point. Emily smirked as she looped her fingertips around the material of Alison's lacy white panties, which matched her bra, teasingly threatening to drag them down. She could tell that Alison was itching for her to just take them off already. The blonde had shut her eyes, and was breathing heavily as she waited for Emily to go farther.

And Emily sure was ready to show her everything she could do. Every other encounter she had was just practice; this was the real thing. She had been waiting for this moment for so long. It was like she was finally getting everything she had been dreaming of. Maybe this would just be one night, but it was one night to show Alison DiLaurentis how good she could make her feel.

" _Em_!" Alison cried once Emily had dragged her panties down and pushed her tongue inside.

Hanna

"I've never been to this place... I thought I'd tried most of the restaurants around."

"Well," Caleb tilted his head to the side, "this place is a little bit distanced from everything else, but regardless, it's great. The food here is really good. I had to commute to a job in this area a while back, so I'd come down here to eat dinner or lunch often."

"So, you've got a lot of experience with this place then," Hanna concluded. "Maybe you can tell me what's good?"

"Sure, but our tastes aren't exactly the same," Caleb chuckled.

"Well, you know me. Tell me what you think I'd like," Hanna said.

"Okay. I'll try— I'll give it my best shot. But you better not chew my head off if you don't like what I suggest," he grinned.

"I can't make any promises," she joked playfully.

He chuckled again, his eyes fixed on her. He finally brought himself to look back down at the menu, scanning it for things that he thought that she would like.

"What about some of _Suzy's Special Champagne_ and their specialty tri-tip steaks?" Caleb suggested, looking back up at her eyes wearily as he awaited her response.

To his relief, Hanna smiled, nodding her head approvingly.

"You had me at champagne," she joked.

"You're good with the steak, right?" he asked. "I mean, I know how much you used to love it back then... I'm not sure if your tastes have changed.

"In some ways, maybe. But not with steak," she laughed. "I can assure you that I still love steak."

"All right. Then it's settled. I'll get you that," he said.

"And what are you having?" she raised her eyebrows.

"I'm not really in the mood for meat. I think I'll get a classic fettuccine alfredo."

"Sounds good. I might steal some from you," she warned him playfully.

"Knock yourself out," he chuckled.

Hanna looked into his eyes, admiring him, and admiring the way that this dinner was going. It was very comfortable, and felt a lot like old times. There was still some distance and changed times between them, but it was a lot better than it was at first.

"I want to thank you," Hanna told him, biting her lip.

He arched his eyebrows downwards. "For what?"

"For making an effort... making things better between us," she answered. "I was afraid that we were going to end up in an endless petty war, and that we would never be able to get any real work done. I was scared when Alexander asked us to work on the website together."

Caleb shrugged his shoulders. "It's nothing... really. I guess I just decided that I should grow up a little bit. I mean, we are adults now, after all."

"Yeah," she nodded her head. "I like the way things are between us now. Maybe we can be friends."

His eyes shifted to the floor. He looked a little bit uncomfortable with what she said.

"Did I say something wrong?" she asked. "Can you not do the whole 'friends' thing?"

He shrugged again. "I really don't know if I can, if I'm being honest. I don't know if I can hang out with you like a friend. We're co-workers now."

She tilted her head to the side. "Really, Caleb? We're hanging out _right now_. Don't tell me you can't do it."

"This is for work matters!" he argued.

She scoffed. "Come on... we haven't spoken one sentence about work-related stuff since we got here."

"We haven't even ordered our food yet. I can't bore you with website layout and coding talk already," he shrugged it off.

"I guess you're going back to being how you were before," Hanna raised her eyebrows.

"No," he immediately shook his head. "It's not like that... really. It's just... the exes as friends thing never ends up working out."

"It can work for us if we try," she said.

"Okay, okay... damn, I forgot how persistent you are," he put his hands up in surrender. "Call it what you want— _friends_. That's fine. I'm just not sure that _Jordan_ would like that very much."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Hanna demanded.

He rolled his eyes. "Hanna, it means exactly what it sounds like. Why the hell would your current boyfriend be thrilled that you're close pals with your ex-boyfriend? It's just not logical."

"Well, not _thrilled_ , but he doesn't have to be furiously jealous. Jordan trusts me," Hanna defended herself. "He's not the type to banish me from hanging out with ex-boyfriends."

"So, you've told him about me? And you've told him that _we're_ having dinner tonight? And he was totally cool with it?" Caleb questioned, suspicious.

Hanna pressed her lips together. She hated the smug look on Caleb's face.

" _No_ , but—" she began.

"That's what I thought," he cut her off, folding his arms.

"You didn't even let me finish what I was saying!" Hanna cried. "He doesn't know yet, but I'm gonna tell him soon! Maybe even tonight... But no matter what, Jordan trusts me, and I know he trusts me. I know the type of relationship that we have. Actually, in the past, I've hung out with several of my ex-boyfriends, and he was fine with it. He knows that I'm not gonna cheat on him." Hanna glared at Caleb. "Unlike _you_ , Jordan actually knows what trust means in a relationship. He doesn't get unnecessarily jealous."

Caleb's eyes widened. "Oh God, Hanna... are you really starting this again? You were the one who got upset when I took a jab at you over our break up, and now you're bringing old drama up again? Typical."

"Caleb, I don't want to fight!" Hanna cried. "I really don't! But I guess the way you say things just _irks_ me. It's like you're looking for a fight."

"You're the one who accused me of being a jealous maniac who didn't trust you while we were dating," Caleb fired back.

"That's not what I said! Stop twisting my words!" Hanna cried.

"Well, you implied something of that sort. And it doesn't matter, anyway. That's not how anything went down between us. I wasn't a crazily jealous boyfriend. I trusted you, Hanna. I didn't think you were cheating on me. That's not what the problem was in our relationship. I can't even believe that you would say something like that," Caleb folded his arms.

"I didn't mean that you thought I was cheating. I meant that you didn't trust me to pursue my career," she snapped. "And _that's_ something that you can't deny, because you know that it happened."

"Yeah, of course I didn't trust you to pursue your career any further, because you don't know how to balance anything!" he practically yelled. "Hanna, if I let our relationship go on, both of us would've been unhappy! You wanted to devote your life to working, and I wanted to actually _see_ my girlfriend. I'm _sorry_ that I couldn't be in a relationship where I never even got to spend time with my girlfriend any longer. I snapped, and I was done. What happened that night didn't make us break up— it was just the last straw."

"I had to do what I had to do for my career, okay?" Hanna said. "I'm sorry that you couldn't handle a working girlfriend. I'm sorry that you need constant attention."

"I didn't need constant attention! I just needed you to be _present_ in our relationship. But it was clear that your mind wasn't there with me. You weren't with me anymore. I lost you long before we broke up," he shook his head. "That night brought everything into perspective."

 _Caleb had all his bags packed and ready to go. He was sitting in their apartment, excited for their trip. He was eager to reconnect with Hanna. They had been trying, but work and college were still consuming her quite heavily. He hoped that their trip to Europe would really bring them back together, and that they would get their much-needed alone time. It was nearing the time of their flight, and Caleb was beginning to get worried. With New York traffic, they needed to leave a bit early to make it through all the airport tasks on time. He was about to reach over to grab his phone and call Hanna, but luckily, the door opened just before. He turned his head, and saw Hanna standing there, looking ecstatic, which he assumed was because it was finally trip day._

 _"Guess who had the best day ever!?" Hanna exclaimed, kicking off her shoes and shutting the door._

 _"You?" Caleb guessed, chuckling. He stood up from the couch. "And Han, don't take your shoes off. We've gotta get going to the airport now. You can tell me all about your fantastic day in the taxi."_

 _Hanna's eyes went wide. Caleb furrowed his eyebrows at her face._

 _"What is it?" he asked. "We need to get going..."_

 _"Caleb..." she swallowed hard. "You're gonna hate me when I tell you this, but... I can't turn it down. I just can't. The thing about my great day at work is that Kris finally started appreciating my hard work. We're having a business meeting with one of the largest fashion design companies in the country, and I have to be here for it all. Kris put me in charge of handling a lot of the paperwork, and she even asked me to lead the presentation for the meeting!"_

 _Caleb stood there in silence. He stared at the floor, a certain anger boiling over in him. It was frustration and anger... and worst of all: hopelessness. He was really losing hope in his relationship with Hanna. A part of him always believed they would make it through every tough obstacle, but this one seemed impossible now. It was like they weren't even in a relationship anymore. He barely saw her or spent time with her. This Europe trip was supposed to change everything, and now she was even taking that away from him?_

 _"Hanna..." he said firmly, a subtle anger in his voice. "Please don't tell me that you're saying what I think you're saying."_

 _She swallowed harder._

 _"You're not coming with me on the Europe trip?" he asked._

 _"We can still go, I swear!" Hanna tried. "Just... not right now, okay? Kris needs me! This is a huge opportunity! We just got really bad timing."_

 _"I've been trying so hard with you, but God... this is just too much," he shook his head. "For so long, I've just wanted us to get back to the way we used to be, but I don't think that's ever gonna happen now. You have your own priorities, and clearly, I'm not one of them. I found solace in the reminder that we'd be going to Europe soon, and it'd just be about us finding each other again, but you even found a way to take_ that _away from me."_

 _"You're mad at me for prioritizing my career?" Hanna tilted her head to the side. "Caleb, I thought that you would find a way to understand. I wouldn't cancel our trip for just any reason— you know that. This is one of the biggest opportunities I've gotten since I started working for Kris. This could really jumpstart my career. Right now is a critical time in developing my career, but things will get better soon once we find stability."_

 _"I'm not mad at you for prioritizing your career!" he yelled. "I'm mad at you for not giving a damn about me anymore! I understand that you have to deal with your school and work, but I'm not even a part of your life anymore, and that isn't normal in a relationship! I'm just a random dude who lives in the same apartment as you these days."_

 _"You know that isn't true..." Hanna said. "You would do the same thing as me if you were in this position."_

 _"Clearly you don't know me, because I wouldn't. I'd give everything up for you," he told her. "I'd leave my job right now if it meant keeping you happy. But now it's becoming clear as day that I care a lot more about you than you care about me. This relationship is starting to feel one-sided, so... I just can't do this anymore. I'm not sure if I'll ever be happy again if things stay the way that they are right now, so I'm gonna make the decision that's best for me."_

 _"What are you saying, Caleb?" Hanna asked fearfully, her eyes struggling to meet his._

 _Just then— conveniently— Hanna's cell phone started ringing loudly. It was Kris who was calling her._

 _"Hanna," he warned sternly. "Don't you dare answer that phone right now. I'm talking to you about something important."_

 _"I have to answer it!" she cried. "She's my boss! I can't just ignore her phone calls!"  
_

 _"We're having a discussion about our relationship! You're just proving my point further... and besides, you were just at work with her. You don't need to talk to her right now," he folded his arms. "I'm telling you: don't answer that phone call."_

 _"Just give me one second," she said and pressed the accept call on her phone, disregarding what Caleb had just said to her._

 _Caleb glared at her in frustration as she pressed the cell phone against her ear. He was so pissed off at her right now. And to top it all off, she took the phone call from Kris right after he told her not to. He kept seeing how much more important her work was than him, and it made him angrier. He couldn't even have a full conversation with her about their relationship without it being interrupted by her prioritizing her work. Her work had career had become her life, and it suddenly felt like there was no place for him in her life any longer._

 _"Hey, Kris!" Hanna exclaimed brightly, although it sounded fake since she was battling with her fear of talking to Caleb about this after the phone call ended. She knew that there were going to be even more harsh words and repercussions because she answered the phone call. "What? Oh... I... I don't know if I can right now. I just got home." She swallowed hard, fearfully looking up at Caleb. "Okay, okay. Fine. I'll be there soon. Bye."_

 _Caleb's mouth widened. "Hanna, do not tell me that you just told her that you're gonna go back to work. Please don't tell me that."_

 _"She asked me to go back! What was I supposed to say? No? I can't say no to her at this stage!" she cried._

 _"Stand up for yourself for once! Tell her that you're supposed to go to Europe with your boyfriend. Tell her that she promised you your vacation time, and that she can't just take back her word. Tell her to find somebody else to fill in for you during the business presentation," he angrily said. "If you cared about us, you would do this."_

 _"I don't want anybody else to fill in for me! Maybe I should stand up to her, but I want to do that business presentation. It's a huge opportunity to show her and everybody else what I can do, and start making a name for myself in this industry," she shook her head. "I'm sorry, Caleb. I love you so much, but I can't turn this down... not even for you. And I have to get back to work now—"_

 _"Fine, maybe you can't skip that business meeting, but right now? Right now, Hanna? We're having a freaking conversation! You just got back from work, you can't possibly be going back already!" he cried. "Tell her that you can't go back right now. Call her."_

 _"No, I'm not going to do that. I can't," she shook her head again._

 _"Well, before you go, let me at least get this out there: if you walk out that door... if you go back to work instead of coming to the airport with me... then... we're done, Hanna," he swallowed hard as the words came out of his mouth. "I'm done with you... and this. Make one sacrifice for me... just one. Come with me on this trip, and we can explore Spain... France... Italy... we can have an amazing time together. You can save us if you do this. But if you walk out that door, we're over."_

 _She felt a knot in her stomach._

 _"Are you seriously giving me an ultimatum, Caleb?" she asked, shocked. "You can't be serious..."_

 _"But I am serious. I'm not waiting around for you anymore," he said. "I'm going to start living my life the way I want to. I deserve somebody who cares about me and actually wants to put in effort in the relationship. If you're not there with me, then why the hell are we still in a relationship? The thing is... I'm going on that trip to Europe whether you come with me or not. The question is if you're going to walk out that door instead of coming with me and end our relationship."_

 _"I can't go to Europe with you..." she sighed. "I don't want us to be over, but I just can't. Please don't do this. Please don't make me pick between my career and you."_

 _"I don't think you're really picking anything anymore. I think you've already made your decision," he chuckled bitterly._

 _"Don't go, okay?" she begged. "I'm gonna just run over there to check up on Kris, and I'll be back here soon. Don't end us because of this."_

 _She started heading towards the door, and Caleb's stomach fell. She really did make her decision. A part of him hoped that she would change her mind and that she would come with him to Europe, and that everything would be okay after that. But there she was at the door, ready to go back to work and see Kris. Again, she had chosen her career over him. Caleb realized that he needed to get out of this relationship already, or maybe he'd be unhappy forever._

 _"Too late," he said quietly, shaking his head. "We're done, Hanna. I'm done."_

"Maybe this dinner was a mistake..." Caleb muttered.

The night of the break-up was still haunting both of them. He could still see the images so vividly. He could see her walking out of their apartment, he could still feel his heart aching as he realized that it was really the end for both of them, and he could feel the tears rolling down his cheeks as he drove to the airport alone and boarded the flight alone.

"We both hurt each other a lot in the past," Hanna acknowledged. "But that doesn't mean that we can't make this work now. I'm not your girlfriend anymore. You don't have to worry about me prioritizing my career over you. And I don't have to worry about you getting mad about me doing that. We realized that we were better off not being together anymore. There's no crime in that. It was just a simple realization that we stopped working well together."

He shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah, maybe... but it still stings like hell to think about it."

"Well, I'm not giving up," she assured him. "Obviously it's hard now... it's the first time we've really seen each other since we broke up, and that wasn't like any other break-up. That was a really, really tough one. I can admit that. But we'll figure it out, okay? We're just working together. We're just friends."

"Yeah," he nodded his head.

"I'm happy that you're back in my life," she said.

"Me too," he smiled.

To his surprise, Hanna reached over and took his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. He wasn't sure what to make of it, but he certainly didn't fight it. He figured that it was just a gesture to show that they were going to make it through this as friends (or at least civil acquaintances). Plus, he didn't think she meant it romantically, anyways. She hadn't failed to remind him that she was happily dating Jordan since he first arrived. Not that it mattered, anyway... Caleb had been working on a romance with that cute Danielle girl from work.

Emily - Alison

Emily's eyes fluttered open. Groggily, she gripped the white sheets that were covering her naked body and looked around the room. A small, closed-mouth smile formed on her face once her eyes reached a sleeping Alison DiLaurentis. She admired the blonde as she slept peacefully, looking so beautiful. Carefully, Emily pushed the sheets off of her body so that they didn't uncover Alison. Her movement, however, ended up waking her up. Alison groggily watched as Emily put her flannel back on, buttoning it. Feeling Alison's eyes on her, Emily turned around.

"Ali! Crap, I didn't know I woke you up. I'm sorry..." she apologized. She crawled back on to the bed, scooting closer to Alison.

Alison tilted her head to the side. "Hmm, so you were trying to sneak off before I woke up? I knew you were a player, but I thought I was different."

The darker girl rolled her eyes playfully. "I'm not a player! And I wasn't trying to _sneak_ off... I mean, I was just trying not to wake you up because I thought you wanted to sleep. I thought I should get back to my dorm before Lexi notices that I never showed up last night. I was gonna pretend like I was just out late and returned late."

"Can't you just tell her you with _with_ somebody? I'm sure she's used to it by now," Alison joked.

"Enough of that!" Emily said defensively. "I know you're messing around, but I really don't want you to think of me that way. That's not me. I made some bad decisions, but... you know why I did what I did."

"Yeah, yeah, I know, Em... I really was just messing around. I didn't think you'd get so defensive," she laughed, shaking her head. "But... good morning. Are you really gonna run out of here already? You could... _stay_."

Emily bit her lip. She knew that if she didn't run out of here right now, she'd end up being persuaded to stay. Especially with the damn way that Alison was biting her lip right now...

"Fine. Five minutes."

"I think it'll be more than five minutes," she smirked, sitting up and pulling Emily back down with her, pressing their lips together.

Aria

Aria was sitting on a campus bench about twenty minutes before her philosophy class started. She was just sitting there, casually reading a book. The Hollis campus was quite beautiful and peaceful. She looked up from her book when she heard footsteps approaching her; she was a bit startled when she saw that it was Liam, dressed in a blue and white flannel that was tucked neatly into his Chinos. He smiled at her, then took a seat next to her on the bench.

"Hey... how'd you find me?" she asked.

"I just showed up and looked. Your friend Kendall told me you were reading on a bench, so I just looked for benches," he chuckled, scratching his head. "You're probably wondering why I'm here, and the simple answer is that I wanted to see you again."

"Oh, that's nice," she smiled, "but I've actually got philosophy class in like twenty minutes. Can I take a raincheck?"

"This won't take long," he told her. "I mean, I do want to see you again for longer later, but I just wanted to clear the air about the other night. That's actually why I came here, to be honest."

"Clear the air about what?" she asked. "I had a wonderful time the other night, Liam."

"Really?" he grinned, and she nodded her head. "Well, I'm glad that you did. It's just... there's something I really wanted to do that night, and I felt stupid for not doing it because it was literally the perfect timing. And trust me, I wanted to do it... it was just... I got scared and backed off. Truth be told, I haven't been as enchanted with a girl so quickly like I have been with you, and it truly is scaring the crap out of me."

"Hey," she tilted her head to the side. "That night, I told you that you've got nothing to be scared of. I meant it."

"I'm still scared because, well... you're you," he laughed. "But... I know what I want."

She raised her eyebrows. "Oh yeah? And what's that?"

He grinned at her, placing his hands on her cheeks, stroking them gently before leaning in slowly and pressing his lips against hers. It was a soft and gentle kiss. She kissed him back, placing her hands on his back, gripping him tightly.

"I want you," he whispered, still grinning like a fool after he pulled back.

Aria was happy that he finally kissed her. She finally felt like they could move forward. It was kind of adorable how nervous he was around her. When she turned her head, she saw _Ezra_ standing there. He looked... almost _angry_. But when she caught him looking at her, he quickly turned his head and pretended like he wasn't staring at them kissing. She was getting so many mixed signals from him that she didn't know what to do. Her plan was to ignore him and try to move forward with Liam, but Ezra still puzzled her. Why the hell would he get upset over her kissing another guy? And why the hell would he be watching her like that? She had chosen to believe that he was beyond happy with Nicole, and that he wasn't even interested in anything with her anymore. Plus, she thought they both knew better than to walk down that inappropriate, scandalous road that they had once walked down many years ago.

"Liam, thank you for coming here... that was really sweet of you," Aria told him, stroking his hair. "And the kiss? Well, that was lovely. But I actually should head off now."

"Now? Already?" he asked, disappointed. "Oh, come on! I thought you had twenty minutes until class?"

"Yeah, but... it's kind of a far walk. Plus, I saw my English professor, and I've got to ask him this question about a paper that's due tonight," Aria lied, biting her lip. She didn't want to lie to him already, but the curious part of her wanted to confront Ezra.

"That's a shame, but I guess I knew you didn't have much time when I got here. In all hopefulness, I'll see you again soon? For longer?" he chuckled.

"Yes, yes," she chuckled as well. "Of course. Text me... or call me... or whatever."

"You've got it," he nodded his head, standing up from the bench. "See you soon. Have fun in class."

"Bye, Liam," she waved as he walked off.

After Liam was gone, Aria rushed off to follow Ezra. She tapped his shoulder.

"Morning, Professor Fitz," she greeted bitterly, folding her arms.

He sighed, knowing that she had seen him staring at her.

"Morning, Aria," he greeted quietly. "May I assist you with something?"

"Yeah, actually. I had a question. Why were you watching us?" she straightforwardly asked. She didn't want to play a game.

"Very direct..." he commented. "Um, well... it's not like I came to your dorm room and watched through the crack. You were out on campus... I just happened to see you there. It really is nothing. And as my student, you shouldn't be asking me stuff like this."

"And you shouldn't be _watching_ me," she folded her arms.

"It literally just happened, Aria. I didn't plan it, and I'm sorry. I guess I was just interested in finding out who you were going on a date with after Nicole and I saw you the other night at that restaurant," he explained. "It really means nothing. Don't take it the wrong way. You two are cute together. I'm happy for you."

She stared at the floor, nodding her head.

"Okay," she said. "I'll see you in class, then."

"All right," he said. "Goodbye."

He hurried off. Aria sighed. She felt bad about confronting him now. But she also was a bit disappointed in his response. He brushed it off as if it were nothing more than mere curiosity about who she was dating. But then again, she didn't know what she was expecting from him. For him to say that he was super jealous and hated to see her kissing another man? It was never going to happen. She knew that Ezra wasn't that type of guy. And maybe it was for the better than he was shutting down her confrontations. He was mature enough to know that these jealousy games were bad.

Aria figured that she needed to learn how to control herself. She was practically in a relationship with Liam, and she was, for some reason, following Ezra around and interrogating him? Sure, it was weird that he watched them kiss, but she would certainly have done the same if she saw him locking lips with Nicole. In fact, she was pretty sure she had been glaring at dinner when he was with Nicole. She kept reminding herself that they were both in other relationships.

Emily

Emily opened the door of her dorm room slowly, trying to be as quiet as possible. It was still somewhat early, so she was hoping that Lexi was still asleep so she could sneak back into bed and pretend like she had been there sleeping the whole time. Unfortunately, when she opened the door all the way, Lexi was awake and sitting on her bed using her laptop. She looked over at Emily with a knowing look.

"Crap..." Emily mumbled under her breath. She ignored Lexi's look and sat down on her own bed.

"How was last night?" Lexi asked with a smirk on her face. " _Seems_ like it was a lot of fun."

"What do you mean?" Emily asked, trying to play it off cool.

"I know you, Em," Lexi tilted her head to the side. "You didn't come home last night, so... who was it this time?"

"You're crazy," she shook her head, pulling open her own laptop. "I slept over at Ali's hotel. That's all. She's not gonna be here for too long, so I took her up on her offer when she asked me to sleep over."

"I would believe that, but your _sex hair_ says something else," Lexi smirked harder.

Emily pressed her lips together.

"That means nothing. People generally have messy hair after they wake up from their sleep," she said. "I didn't spend any time this morning combing my hair or getting ready."

"And you slept in _that_? Those don't look like pajamas."

"Why are you interrogating me?"

"Why are you getting so defensive?"

"Because you're making accusations."

"So you didn't sleep with anybody last night?"

Emily remained silent.

"This is the second night in a row that you didn't sleep here."

"I got too drunk at Warren's party the first time! Ali was nice enough to take me back to her hotel room that night and give me a place to sleep!"

Lexi laughed, shaking her head. "You know, I kept trying to figure out this... _tension_ between you and this Alison girl. It really is different. Remember when you were telling me about that best friend of yours in your high school circle of friends who you starting crushing on and that was how you figured out that you were gay? The big story about an unclear girl who may or may not have been straight, who hurt you many times in the past, but you loved her anyways?"

"Of course I remember..." Emily bit her lip. It seemed like Lexi was figuring it out... or she already _had_ figured it out.

"That best friend is Alison, isn't it?" Lexi asked, proud of herself for putting the puzzle pieces together. "I mean, you weren't this weird when your friend Hanna came to visit. At first, I thought, maybe you and Alison just weren't that close of friends or had a fight or... I don't know. But I saw her in the picture of your friends on your night stand— she was in your circle of friends. And I know most of those girls. Spencer, Aria, Hanna... I know about them. You always talk about _them_. But you know who you never mention? _Alison_! So, it must be her. She's the girl you loved."

Emily blinked several times. She swallowed hard. She suddenly regretted telling Lexi that story about her complicated relationship with Alison.

"Congratulations, Sherlock Holmes," she rolled her eyes.

Lexi grinned proudly. "So, was I right?"

"What did you gain from that?" Emily spat.

"Knowledge... pride... I don't know," Lexi laughed. "Em, don't be so _bitter_. I think it's really cool. Maybe the love story does have a happy ending."

"You are so annoying..."

"Can't you give me anymore details? How was your time with her? What'd you guys do?"

"Well, I wasn't lying. The first night, I really did sleep over at her hotel because I got super drunk at Warren's party."

"And the second night?" Lexi raised her eyebrows.

Emily looked at her nervously. "Well, you were right..."

" _Sex_?"

Emily rolled her eyes. "Shut up about it already. I don't wanna talk about this anymore, okay? This is between Ali and me."

Spencer

Spencer put on a cute little dark green dress for her date that night. She decided that she was going to give this a fair chance. She smiled at herself in the mirror. She combed her hair through her bangs. As she reached over to her table to grab a shade of nude-colored lipstick, Hazel walked inside of the room.

"Hey, girl! Looking _hot_!" Hazel commented, jumping on to her bed. She admired Spencer for a moment. "Are you getting ready for that date with Bryan?"

"Yup," she answered, smacking her lips together after coating her lips with the lipstick. She turned to look at Hazel. "How do I look?"

"I already said it: _hot_. You look amazing, Spencer. Bryan's gonna be wowed," Hazel said.

"Good," Spencer smiled.

"Are you nervous about it?" Hazel asked curiously.

"No... why would I be nervous? _Should_ I be nervous?" Spencer asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Well, I mean... I would definitely be. But I guess I'm different. You're fearless... and confident... and you look like _that_ ," Hazel laughed nervously.

"Hazel, you're beautiful," Spencer tilted her head to the side like it was obvious.

Hazel blushed, shaking her head. "Well, compliments aside, Bryan's so... _amazing_. Aren't you just scared of the thought of going on a date with him? He's cute, nice, and smart. And first dates are scary."

"I mean, I've known him for a while now. I'm not too scared," Spencer shrugged her shoulders.

"I'd probably faint if a guy like Bryan ever took interest in me," Hazel laughed. "I don't know what you do, Spencer, but all these amazing guys come chasing after you! You got _Toby_ , too."

Spencer sighed. She wished that she wasn't reminded of him, but she figured that Hazel couldn't read her mind, so she just shook it off and tried to move on.

"Call it luck," she shrugged her shoulders. "And don't doubt yourself... any guy would be lucky to have you." Hazel still seemed to be in disbelief, and Spencer could have stayed there and tried to convince her otherwise, but she knew it was time to head out. "Anyways, I should probably get going now. I don't wanna be late on the first date."

Spencer went to the parking lot, got into her car, and drove over to the restaurant that Bryan had told her to meet him at. When she walked inside, he waved at her from a table. She smiled at him and walked over there, sitting down across from him.

"Hi!" he greeted brightly. "You look... _wow_."

She laughed quietly, shaking her head.

"So, what's good here?" she asked.

"I don't know. I've never been, but the Yelp reviews were really good," he grinned.

She stared right at him and smiled harder. He was wearing a long-sleeved, dark red button-up and khaki pants with a dark brown belt. He looked nice.

"I want to thank you," she said, tilting her head to the side. He raised his eyebrows, intrigued. "...for giving me a second chance. I know I screwed us up pretty badly when I did what I did, so... it was really sweet and noble of you to give me another chance. You're a really good guy, Bryan. Thank you for being so good to me."

Bryan smiled at her weakly. "Well, you're welcome, but... can we _not_ talk about that? I just want to think about the present."

She nodded her head understandingly. "Yeah, of course."

* * *

 **A/N: Hey, guys! Thanks for reading! I know there has been a lot of Haleb and Emison lately (I hope those who are fans of those ships enjoy those scenes). But if you're an Ezria or Spoby shipper, I'll try to give more scenes soon. It's just that Haleb and Emison are in really critical parts of their storylines, so they naturally have a lot of content.**

 **Anyways, I would really appreciate if you left a review. Thanks again for reading! More to come soon, hopefully... I'm also working on a post-finale story about [SPOILERS FROM 7x20] Alex Drake x Aria. Check that out if you're into that! It's called "Twisted."**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hello, guys! I'd like to thank you for your kind words in the reviews. And as always, I'd appreciate if you left a review after reading. I really do appreciate and enjoy reading them. Anyways, there's more coming this chapter. Quite a few of you said that you want me not to cut back on the Emison content (or maybe even include MORE, hahaha). I figured I'd just have to give all the ships tons of story whenever I can, although it's a bit hard for some, considering the fact that Spoby, Ezria, and Haleb are broken up. But I certainly will do my best!**

* * *

9

Spencer

The brunette was walking back to her dorm room with Bryan by her side. He had his hands in his pockets, looking like he was contemplating making a serious move. He hadn't even tried to kiss her while they were out, and Spencer kept wondering if it was even going to happen. She wasn't even sure if she _wanted_ it to happen, actually. He was a nice guy, but she really couldn't get Toby out of her head. Every time she tried to have a normal conversation with Bryan, Toby made an appearance in her head. But she had promised him that she was going to give this relationship her best shot. And besides, Toby was already back in Rosewood now. It wasn't like she could just call him up and tell him, " _Oh, about Bryan... that thing didn't work out! Would you come back here now?_ "

Once they got through the hallway and reached her room, she started walking towards her door while Bryan stood back. She was about to reach for the door knob, but Bryan took a few steps forward and did it— he placed a gentle kiss on her lips. He let his hands cup her cheeks. It was short and soft. It was a nice kiss, Spencer had to admit.

She smiled once he pulled back from her.

"Oh," she chuckled, leaning back against the door.

"Yeah, _oh_ ," he chuckled back. "I'll see you tomorrow in class, killer."

She just stood there, smiling, while Bryan shoved his hands back into his pockets and started walking down the hallway again. Once he was out of sight, Spencer opened her door and stepped inside of the room. Hazel eagerly shot her head towards the brunette, looking at her with wide eyes that were filled with curiosity and interest. Spencer rolled her eyes, chuckling as she did so. She sat down on her bed.

"When are you gonna stop looking at me like that, Hazel?" Spencer asked.

"When you dish _everything_!" she exclaimed. "What happened tonight? How was it?"

The brunette sighed, laying down on her bed and looking up at the ceiling.

"Um, that doesn't look like a very good expression..." Hazel muttered. "Was it _that_ bad?"

"No, no!" she shook her head immediately. "Nothing like that... nothing like that at all. It was nice, actually. He's a really good guy. He's really sweet. And we had a pretty good time. It's fun hanging out with him. It's just... I don't know if I'll be able to _date_ him. You know?"

"No, I _don't_ know," Hazel furrowed her eyebrows. "If everything with him tonight was so great, why wouldn't you want a relationship with him?"

"I don't know," she sighed. "I had fun, but..."

"Were you thinking about Toby?" Hazel guessed.

Spencer swallowed hard. If she said it out loud, then suddenly it became her reality that she wasn't able to move on from him...

So she ignored her roommate's question.

"Bryan kissed me tonight," she added. Hazel smiled. "Yeah, when we were coming back and he was walking me here, he kissed me at the door. It was really nice. Really gentle."

"I am _so_ not following why you wouldn't wanna date this guy!" Hazel cried. "It seems like everything went well. Really, the only thing I could think of that would mess it all up is Toby."

Spencer pressed her lips together, feeling the heavy weight of Hazel's statement. She really didn't know what to do.

"Well, Toby's gone," she suddenly revealed, not bothering to look over at Hazel, who was staring at her with wide eyes.

"Gone from D.C. or gone from your life?" Hazel questioned.

She sighed.

"I don't know. Definitely D.C., but maybe more. I mean, we said that we're gonna try to stay friends and have a clean break, but I'm not really sure what's going to happen. He's all the way in Pennsylvania again, so it's hard to stay in touch. I barely stay in touch with my best friends from high school, so I'm not exactly sure how I'm supposed to maintain a friendship with my ex-boyfriend," she confessed.

Hazel decided not to push the issue any further, seeing how stressed Spencer already seemed to be. She figured the girl just needed some time to think about things clearly and get her head straight. She could only imagine how confusing it was for her to navigate between her ex-boyfriend and this new guy, especially when she cared a lot about both of them.

"Stop thinking about boys. Think about _finals_!" Hazel changed the subject.

Spencer chuckled, sitting up in her bed.

"You're right. I should be thinking about finals. They're getting closer and closer," she commented.

"Yeah, they are. Before you know it, this year's gonna be over, it's gonna be summer vacation, and then we'll be back here for our last year of undergrad!" Hazel cried. "It's crazy how time flies. Really."

"Yeah, it is," she agreed.

Emily

"Ooh, I like _that_ one!" Lexi exclaimed, pointing to a pretty nice apartment that was on Emily's laptop screen. "The rooms are pretty big, there are separate bathrooms, and the price isn't bad."

"Yeah. I like it, too," Emily agreed. "I'll save that one. Let's just consider the other options, too."

"Why? Is it because it only has two bedrooms and you wanted an extra one so your _girlfriend_ can live with us, too?" she teased.

Emily rolled her eyes.

"That actually makes no sense. I'm pretty sure you two would be sleeping in the same bed," Lexi chuckled.

"Will your comments ever stop?" Emily sighed, continuing to scroll through the listings on the website.

Lexi was about to speak again, but suddenly there was a knock on their dorm room door. Emily slid her laptop out of her lap and handed it to Lexi, and then walked over to the door to open it. When she opened it, Alison was standing there. Lexi just sat in the back with a smirk on her face, eyeing the two girls closely, analyzing their body language.

"Ali... hey," Emily shyly greeted.

"Hey," the blonde greeted back. "It gets pretty boring sitting in that hotel room all day by myself, so I thought I'd drop by and see what you were up to."

"Oh, um..." Emily turned her head back to look at Lexi, then turned back to Alison. "You remember Lexi, right? My roommate?" Alison nodded her head. "Yeah, well, we were just looking for apartments for next year." She bit her lip, suddenly feeling a lot more shy. "You don't have to sit in that hotel room all day, you know. There are plenty of places to go here!"

"I know, but it's no fun going everywhere by myself. I thought that maybe I could request some company?" Alison smiled sweetly.

The two girls were staring at each other intensely. Lexi coughed to get both of their attention.

"No sweat if you two wanna hang out," she told them. "I get it. We can pick this up tonight. Just... you better actually come back this time."

Lexi chuckled at her own comment, earning a glare from Emily.

"Lex, why don't you come with us?" Emily suggested. "I mean, it's been a while since we hung out, too."

"That's sweet, but I don't wanna interrupt your... _date_ ," she grinned. "Third wheeling is not my thing."

Emily blushed, rolling her eyes. Alison raised her eyebrows, wondering how much this roommate girl knew about them.

"Shut up. Would you just come? Please?" Emily begged.

"Only if your _friend_ is okay with it," Lexi said, glancing over at the blonde.

Alison smiled, "Sure, why not?"

While she did want to spend alone time with Emily, she wasn't opposed to the idea of getting to know somebody who was probably one of Emily's closest friends at Pepperdine. She felt like it was a way _in_ — a way to get to know more about Emily. Being friends with Emily's friend would mean that she was a part of Emily's life again, for real. She wanted that.

"See? She's okay with it!" Emily exclaimed. "Now, get the hell up before I drag you out of the bed, Lex!"

"Fine, fine..." Lexi sighed, hopping up from the bed. She came over to where Emily was standing, quietly whispering, "But you two better not get _too_ romantic tonight."

Emily rolled her eyes.

"You don't mind if I grab a shower before we go, do you?" Lexi asked.

"Go for it," Emily said, honestly a little bit excited that her roommate would be leaving briefly.

She felt bad about ditching Lexi again during their apartment search, so she thought that it would be best to include her in their plans. After all, Lexi had been there for her through so much. She had a very special place in Emily's heart. But that also didn't mean that Emily wasn't _dying_ to get a moment alone with Alison.

Lexi grabbed some clothes and a towel from her closet, and then headed out of the dorm room. Alison stepped inside, shutting the door behind her. She smiled as she walked closer to Emily. The two of them walked back to Emily's bed and sat down next to each other.

"So, I've been thinking a lot..." Alison began. "My final exams are coming up soon, and I actually have to be there to take them. I think I'm heading back to Rosewood next week."

Emily seemed a little bit disappointed, but nodded her head understandingly.

"I get it. You've been missing class?" Emily asked.

"Yeah, but... it's fine," the blonde assured her. "My professors post all of the lectures and course materials online, so I just check them out whenever I can. That's what I've been doing when you're not around."

"Good. I didn't want you to get behind," the brunette said. She sighed, "I hate that you're leaving so soon, though."

"I hate it, too, but I can't miss my exams," she sighed. "But I was wondering if you would come back to Rosewood for summer break."

"I try to avoid coming there," Emily bit her lip. "But I probably should, anyways. I haven't visited my mom in a really long time, and she always tells me that she misses me. I feel bad leaving her alone, but I'm scared to come back there. That town still haunts me to this day."

"Em, I promise it's a lot better with the monsters out of it," Alison assured her. "Charlotte's not hurting anybody anymore. It's actually really peaceful there now, I promise."

"And I believe you," Emily smiled. "I'll think about it. Maybe it would be better if you just came back to California..."

"As fun as it is here, I think you should come home," she smiled. "You should spend time with your mom. And Aria's there, too, so you can see her again. And we can spend time together. I know you want to forget Rosewood, but I don't think you should."

"Aria," Emily smiled when she said the name of her former best friend aloud. "Wouldn't it be really cool if all of us went back to Rosewood this summer? You, me, Aria, Spencer, and Hanna."

"Maybe," Alison shrugged her shoulders. "We'll just have to wait and see. Spencer's probably really busy doing internships and stuff. And Hanna's been really devoted to getting her career off the ground. She texted me a little while ago telling me that she's working with a major company to get her designs out."

"That's awesome," Emily grinned.

She looked up at the blonde, reaching out and putting her hand on her arm, stroking it gently.

"I'm gonna miss you when you leave, though," she told her.

"It won't be for too long," Alison assured her. "And you know, while we're both here and while Lexi's in the shower, why don't we make the most of the time we've got left?"

There was a certain glow in Alison's eyes that was tempting Emily. Both of them smiled at each other. Emily leaned in, pressing her lips against Alison's, kissing her gently. She ran her hands through her soft blonde hair, pushing her down against the bed so that her head fell back on the pillows. She deepened the kiss, opening her mouth wider and sliding her tongue into the blonde's mouth.

Hanna

"What do you think of _this one_?" Hanna grinned, shoving her sketchbook into her boyfriend's arms.

Jordan, who was eating cereal while watching TV before work, was startled by the sudden gesture. He chuckled, setting his cereal bowl down on the table in front of him. He picked up the sketchbook, analyzing the drawing on it. He grinned, putting his arm around Hanna.

"It's lovely," he commented. "I think people will really love it."

"Well, we're gonna bring it to life and have it modeled so that we can put it on my new website!" Hanna exclaimed excitedly.

"That's fantastic, love," Jordan grinned. He turned to face her. "Hey, I forgot to ask... how was your dinner last night with that co-worker who you're working on this project with?"

Hanna tensed up. She still hadn't told him. She was planning on it, but just never went through with it when she came home that night.

"Oh, it was nice. We got a lot of ideas out on the table about the project," Hanna explained. She bit her lip, looking up at him. "Hey, Jordan, can we talk about something? I've been meaning to tell you, but I... I don't know. I just didn't."

He looked at her curiously.

"Of course. What is it?" he asked.

"That dinner last night..." she started. "The guy I went with wasn't just a co-worker. He's my ex-boyfriend."

Jordan was silent for a moment.

"Oh..." he muttered, looking like he was processing it. He seemed a bit frustrated. "Okay, um... why did you not tell me about this sooner, Hanna? He works with us, too? Why didn't you tell me the minute you started working there?"

"I don't know," she admitted. "I guess I was afraid."

"Afraid of _what_?" he asked, raising his eyebrows. "I have _always_ been very trusting of you. I let you spend time with all your ex-boyfriends because I trust you and we talk about these things. I wouldn't think anything of it if you had just told me beforehand. Now, it looks a bit weird..."

"What do you mean?" Hanna asked.

"Why would you not tell me sooner?" he asked. "Is it because something's happened, or...?"

" _No_ ," Hanna denied quickly. "God, _no_ , Jordan. Nothing happened between us. He's just a friend, I promise. I don't know why I was so scared of telling you. If I'm being honest, I guess it was just because he's not like other ex-boyfriends. He's that guy I once told you about... the one I dated for a really long time. He was the only other serious relationship I've had aside from ours."

Jordan seemed disappointed.

"Okay, okay... I'm trying to understand. I do trust you, though," he told her. "Just, please... always tell me these things, okay? A relationship is _nothing_ without trust."

"Of course," Hanna nodded her head. "And I'm so sorry for keeping it from you. That was so, so stupid."

"So, he's the guy who broke up with you because you were spending too much time working?" Jordan asked. "What's his name, anyways? I'm wondering if I've been working with your ex-boyfriend all this time..."

"No, you haven't. He's new— he just started working there recently," Hanna explained. "He's the new tech guy. Caleb Rivers."

"Caleb Rivers," Jordan acknowledged, nodding his head. "I'll have to look out for him today at work."

"You're not mad at me, are you?" Hanna asked.

"No, I'm not mad. I'm just a little disappointed because I thought you had more trust in _me_ ," he sighed.

"I'm so sorry, Jordan," Hanna sighed. "It really was nothing. I was being stupid. We're just working together on the new website project."

"I know," Jordan smiled. "And everything's going to be okay between us, I promise. And I love you, so... have a good day in class, and I'll see you later tonight."

He pecked Hanna's lips before hurriedly spooning the last bit of cereal into his mouth. He rushed over to the sink and dropped the bowl inside. He waved at Hanna before leaving the room.

Aria

The tiny girl sighed quietly before setting her book bag down and taking a seat in the lecture hall next to Kendall. She stared at the clock as she waited for her English class to begin— another day with Ezra Fitz as her professor. She was still trying to get used to it, but she wasn't sure if she would ever be able to look at him and _not_ think about their relationship. It was, by far, one of her most serious relationships. She kept hoping that this thing with Liam would work out so that she had a new serious relationship to focus on.

Suddenly, she heard her phone buzzing inside of her book bag, breaking her out of her trail of thoughts. She reached over into her book bag and pulled her phone out to find that she had received an e-mail... from that company she had applied for an internship with— the one where she met _Liam_. She felt her heart rate increasing as she stared at the notification on her lock screen. She figured that she was about to find out whether or not she got the internship.

After bracing herself by taking a deep breath, she unlocked her phone and tapped on the e-mail to read it.

 _Dear Aria Montgomery,  
_ _Thank you for your interest in the Harvey Spring-Summer Writing Internship. We are pleased to inform you that our team was thrilled by your application and interview. We believe that you have much potential, and that this program will be a wonderful opportunity to enhance your writing skills. We look forward to working with you more, and hope that you will accept this offer. We would like to have your response to this offer within 14 days of receiving this message. Please let us know if you are accepting or declining soon. Thank you._

 _Sincerely, Harvey Writing Team_

After reading the message, Aria was grinning like a fool at her phone's screen. Excitement filled her body. She couldn't wait to start interning there. And another bonus was that Liam would be there, too, so she could spend more time with him and get to know him together— which, hopefully, would help her develop a stronger relationship with him. Maybe one that could help her hit the final nail on the coffin in her relationship with Ezra, which was constantly bombarding her mind, no matter how hard she tried to fight it. It was hard to forget about him when she had to see him in this lecture hall _every day_ and listen to his voice analyzing literary works. Hearing him talk that way reminded her of why she fell in love with him in the first place, and she didn't want to be reminded of that. She _couldn't_ be. He was her professor and he has a very serious girlfriend— one he seemed to love a lot.

"What's got you smiling so hard this morning, Miss Montgomery?"

When she looked up from where she was sitting, Ezra Fitz was standing there with a gentle smile on his face, looking genuinely amused by how excited she was while staring at her phone. He looked dapper in his fancy suit and with his brief case in hand. She smiled harder at the sight of that. She felt Kendall's eyes on her. Kendall had always been a bit curious about them because of the way they reacted to seeing each other on his first day of teaching them.

"I, um... I applied to this writing internship a little while ago, and I just got the e-mail telling me that I got it!" Aria excitedly replied, pressing the off button on her phone and setting it down on the table in front of her.

Ezra smiled.

"Wow, that's fantastic. I'm so proud of you," he told her. "I'm not surprised, though. You're an excellent writer."

Aria bit her lip. She didn't know why his praise made her so happy inside.

"Thank you... Professor Fitz," she bashfully spoke, causing Kendall's stare to intensify.

"Of course. And please do let me know how it is once you begin," he smiled. She nodded her head weakly, unable to break eye contact with him. "Anyways, I should get class started. I don't want to start late."

"Right," Aria said, watching him closely as he started walking up to the podium at the front of the lecture hall.

Once he was gone, Kendall tapped Aria's shoulder.

"What the hell was _that_ about?" Kendall demanded.

"What do you mean?" Aria asked nonchalantly.

"You and _Professor Fitz_ ," Kendall elaborated in a hushed yet excited tone. "I don't know if it's all in my head, but there's definitely something going on between you two! I can see it in your eyes! I saw the way you guys were looking at each other."

"You're _crazy_ ," Aria rolled her eyes, hoping her denial would convince Kendall that she truly was crazy and that all of this was actually just in her head. "You're misinterpreting things. He's our professor, Kendall. That makes no sense. Besides, I'm seeing Liam right now. Why would I feel the need to have a _thing_ with our professor?"

"I don't know. Affairs are hot," she replied, grinning. "All I know is that he doesn't look at any of the other students the same way that he looks at you. Maybe it's a mutual attraction. Is it mutual, Aria? Or is it one-sided on his side?"

" _Neither_!" Aria denied. "You're sounding crazier by the second."

"I wouldn't blame you," Kendall continued. "He's really hot, you know."

Aria rolled her eyes.

"He has a _girlfriend_ ," she informed her.

"And how do you know about our professor's love life, hmm?" Kendall asked, growing even more suspicious now.

"Because I ran into him while I was on a date with the _actual_ guy that I'm seeing. You remember Liam, right?" Aria rolled her eyes. "Professor Fitz was out on a date with his girlfriend, and he introduced me."

"Liam's a cool guy, too. I'm happy for you two. But my instincts are saying that you've got something going on with Professor Fitz that is _not_ normal," Kendall smirked. "And this girl is just a girlfriend. There's no ring on that finger."

"You're sick!" Aria rolled her eyes. "You're taking things out of control, Kendall. All he did was compliment my writing and congratulate me on getting my internship. Those are both normal things that normal professors do to all their students."

"I'll take it for now, but we'll see, Aria. We'll see," she smirked harder, turning her attention to the front of the room, where Ezra was about to begin the lecture.

Hanna

After finishing her classes that day, Hanna drove over to work. She took the elevator up to her floor and walked to her office. She set all of her things down, then headed to the back to get herself a cup of coffee. When she got there, she came to an abrupt stop because Caleb was standing there, leaning against the wall with a steaming cup of coffee in his hands while talking to _Danielle_. The two of them were laughing, joking around, and clearly having a good time. Hanna couldn't help but feel a bit put off by the sight.

She swallowed hard before trying to pour herself some coffee from the machine while going unnoticed by Caleb and Danielle. But of course, the second he saw her blonde locks from the back, he recognized her. He stood up straight, a small smile forming on his face, which Hanna could see through the corners of her eyes. She kept pouring her coffee, trying to focus on it completely, albeit she was failing.

"Hey, Hanna," he greeted coolly.

"Hi," she mumbled. "I, um— I should get to my office."

"Okay," he nodded his head, furrowing his eyebrows as he watched the way she hurried away from him. Caleb turned his head back to Danielle, weakly smiling at her. "Um, I should probably get back to my work, too. I don't wanna get _too_ distracted."

"Okay," she smiled. "I'll see you tonight, though."

"Yeah, you will," he chuckled.

He gave her another smile that was more genuine before walking away from her. Still holding his coffee in hand, he made his way over to Hanna's office, gently tapping at the door. She could see who it was through the glass walls, and was extremely reluctant to let him in. However, she knew it would be weird to say no. Using her hands, she motioned for him to come inside of her office, which he did. He opened the glass doors a crack and slid inside, shutting them immediately.

"So, how's the project going?" he asked.

"Um, it's... fine," she replied.

He kept getting the feeling that she was acting weird around him, and he didn't understand why. He thought that they had cleared everything up during the dinner and decided to be friends and professional co-workers.

"Is everything okay, Hanna?" he asked, raising his eyebrows. "You're acting a little... I don't know..."

" _Yes_ , everything is _fine_ ," she insisted. "Do you need something right now, Caleb?"

"Well, if you haven't forgotten, we're working on this project _together_ ," he reminded her sternly. "So, I expect updates from you on the progress. I don't like being left out of how things are going, or we're never gonna be able to make this work."

"Okay, okay. I understand. I've been working on some design sketches, if you'd actually wanna check them out," she explained. "I'll have to start bringing the pieces to life today. I'm gonna talk to the design team and get working, then maybe we can start planning the photoshoot soon."

"That sounds great. And I'd love to check your designs out any time," he assured her. "I'll talk to HR soon and see if we can contact some models for a photoshoot."

"Yeah, that would be good," she agreed. "Um, is there anything else we need to talk about?"

"Uh... I thought that maybe I could show you what I've done so far," he said. "Last night, I stayed up late working on the code. I put together a basic layout, and I think it's pretty cool. You might like it. Just give me a sec, though. I've gotta run to my office and get my laptop so I can pull it up."

She smiled weakly, watching Caleb hurry out of her office and into his own to get his laptop, like he said. All she could think about was how smiley and flirty he had been with Danielle. It made her uncomfortable, as much as she hated to admit it to herself. But she kept reassuring herself that she was _over_ Caleb— she was long done with him, and their relationship was long over. She probably did the same thing with Jordan (although they hadn't been doing anything at work).

Caleb soon returned to her office with his laptop. He came dangerously near her, and Hanna felt herself growing weak in the knees. He was kneeling down on the floor, his arm touching hers as he pulled his laptop open and started typing rapidly, extreme focus in his eyes. He grinned like a little boy opening a new remote control car on Christmas day once he pulled his code up. He previewed it for her. Another screen popped up, revealing a classy home page layout. At the top, in a fancy font, read _HANNA MARIN_. And Hanna, undeniably, loved it. It was everything she had been dreaming of in her own website. It fit in perfectly with the rest of the fashion industry. It would blend in. It fit the look of all the websites of top-notch designers who had been huge inspirations in her own career.

"Caleb, I love it!" she exclaimed.

"You do?" he grinned. "I mean, I'm _glad_ you do. I was a little bit afraid that you wouldn't like it."

"No, I love it. I really do," she told him sincerely. "You did an amazing job. Thank you."

"Of course... I'm just doing my job," he chuckled modestly.

"If this is just the start, then I can't wait to see the finished product. I know you won't disappoint after seeing this," she grinned. "I can only imagine how amazing the rest of it will be."

"Well, now I feel a little bit of pressure..." he scratched his head, looking at her nervously.

"Don't," she shook her head. "Just keep doing things the way you've been doing them. Then, it'll be perfect."

"All right," he nodded his head. "I will try my hardest. I really am glad you love it."

He turned to look at her, and she turned to look at him. They locked eyes for a moment, but Hanna felt that discomfort again, and quickly turned her head away. She was _not_ going to let this turn into something that Jordan probably believed it was after she hadn't informed him of the fact that Caleb was her ex-boyfriend immediately.

"Um, well... I'll get back to my office and keep on working on this," he dismissed himself.

He quickly shut his laptop and walked out of her office without glancing back at her again. He, too, had felt something strange when they locked eyes. He didn't know if that was a good or bad thing, though.

Emily - Alison

"You should've gotten that dress, you know. It looked amazing on you. Right, Lex?"

Lexi nodded her head.

"It really did, Alison. And Em's not just saying that because of—"

Before she could finish her statement, Emily kicked her under the table to get her to shut up. Alison awkwardly chuckled, scratching her head. It was now pretty evident that Lexi knew about them, if it hadn't already been obvious before... Alison didn't really know if she minded that Lexi knew. It wasn't particularly bothering her, but it was a weird thing for someone to know that she was kind of seeing a _girl_. Granted, it did make it a lot easier that it was someone in California who found out about them. She didn't know these people, and they didn't know her. Rumors and gossip about her wouldn't be spreading around like they did back in Rosewood, where she still managed to be the talk of the town so many years after everything went down. She could only imagine how quickly people would start talking if they knew that _the_ Alison DiLaurentis was with a _woman_ after years of claiming that she was straight and nothing but straight.

Back home, people were already gossiping about her seemingly unprofessional relationship with Elliott Rollins. She wasn't sure what she was going to do about that when she headed home, but she figured that she would have to find a nice way to turn him down. She couldn't lie that she had flirted with him a few times while they were taking care of Charlotte, and he certainly was a nice guy who she had considered dating several times. She knew that he was the perfect person to be with if she wanted that cookie-cutter, perfect family image. And she knew how much Elliott cared about her and Charlotte.

Before she left, she had told him that they would see what could happen between them after Charlotte was released from Welby. Alison was actually fearing that, because Charlotte, at least from what she could tell when she was in Rosewood, was making a lot of good progress lately. Elliott was sure that she would be out of there soon, and therefore was convinced that he and Alison could finally go on a real date without people gossiping about how they had an _unprofessional relationship_. People already believed that they were secretly dating but weren't telling people because he was Charlotte's doctor. Most people were just surprised that she was settling down with a good man like Elliott.

She wasn't sure how she would break the news to him when she returned to Rosewood. _Hey Elliott, while I was in California, I kinda started seeing a girl who was one of my best friends in high school! See ya! Sorry we can't date!_ He was bound to be heartbroken when she told him, because she was pretty sure that he really liked her. And she didn't want to hurt him, because she actually did care for him, too. He was a nice man at least, and she admired how much he cared about Charlotte and put effort into bettering her condition. He wasn't like the other doctors at Welby.

Suddenly, Alison snapped back into reality.

"Maybe I'll go back to that store and buy it," she said, and then took a sip of her soda.

The three girls were sitting in the food court of a local mall.

"Out of all the places there are for tourists here, you chose the _mall_?" Lexi teased, fiddling with a French fry in her hand. "She can go to a mall _anywhere_."

"The one here is really nice, okay?" Emily folded her arms.

"No, I like it," Alison added. "This mall _is_ really nice. The one in Rosewood is nowhere _near_ as big as this one. Besides, Em has already taken me to a few places around here."

"Well, I'm sure you'll be visiting often now, right? 'Cause who wouldn't wanna hang out with Emily?" Lexi grinned teasingly.

Alison blushed a little bit. It was so, so clear that Emily spilled something to her.

"Sure, I'd be happy to," Alison said.

"We can hang all summer, then," Lexi smiled.

Emily bit her lip, glancing over at Alison, and then back at Lexi.

"Actually, Lex... I'm thinking of going to Rosewood this summer," she revealed. "I've been thinking about it a lot lately, actually. It's been a long time since I've seen my mom and my old friends, so I thought it would be good to visit home, rather than spend another regretful summer here."

"Bummer," Lexi frowned. "Suit yourself, though. I'll be chilling at all of Warren's parties."

Alison felt herself growing tense at the name.

"Alison, you know that Warren actually mentioned you when I was talking to him?" Lexi continued.

"Really, now? Did he?" she bit her lip.

"Yeah," Lexi nodded her head. "I think he likes you a lot. He said you two hung out at his party a bunch, and he wanted to ask you to hang out again. He was practically begging me to find out how to contact you by talking to Em."

"Oh," the blonde felt nervous, especially because Emily was sitting right there. Both of the girls were feeling a bit antsy over this topic. "What else did he tell you?"

"He may have spilled that you two shared a kiss at his party..." Lexi confessed, now feeling stupid for even bringing it up. Because, what the hell was she thinking? She _knew_ that Emily and Alison were having a thing, but she stupidly brought up Warren (knowing what happened between Alison and Warren at his party). She seriously felt like an idiot.

"It was nothing," Alison quickly told her. "And it was a big mistake. He's a nice guy, though. Tell him I'm sorry, but... no."

Emily smiled to herself. She was happy to hear her turn him down, even if Warren was one of her good friends.

"I'm an idiot for even bringing him up. I'm sorry," Lexi apologized with a soft sigh. She really did look sorry, so neither one of the other two girls could even bring themselves to be annoyed with her. She continued, "So, where to next? We could check Castro's out. I hear they're having a major sale."

Emily grinned.

"Good. I need to only go to stores with good sales. My wallet is crying every time I walk into a store," the brunette joked.

The three girls finished their remaining food and tossed everything in the trash before heading off to the next store. Alison grinned to herself as she searched through the clearance rack; she had missed going shopping with her friends like old times. Back in town, she would usually go to the mall alone and shop by herself. Sometimes she asked Aria to come with her, but the girl rarely agreed, since she always seemed to have other plans going on. Alison remembered when she, Emily, Aria, Hanna, and Spencer would all go to the mall together so frequently. They always had a good time together. And shopping with Emily really did make her feel nostalgic.

"Em, check this out," Alison proudly smiled, pulling a black off-shoulder top off the clearance rack. "You would look _so_ good in this top."

"Really? You think so?" Emily asked modestly.

"Yeah!" the blonde exclaimed confidently. "Personally, I think that off-shoulder tops were _made_ for you."

Emily chuckled as Alison held the black top up to her torso, analyzing how it looked. And seeing that only further affirmed Alison's suspicions that the brunette would look fantastic in this top. She handed it to Emily, their hands gently brushing against each other's during the exchange. Emily bit her lip, gazing at the blonde in front of her.

Lexi, who was searching for clothes on the other side of the store, had stopped her search and looked up to analyze the two girls. She grinned to herself, enjoying the interaction, even if she couldn't hear what they were saying. Both of them were smiling at each other like lovestruck fools as they talked.

"I'm gonna go to the fitting room to try this on," Emily announced.

"I'll come with you," Alison offered. "I wanna see how good it looks on you."

Happily, the two girls walked off to the fitting room together. Alison waited outside patiently while Emily changed. Lexi looked away from them, focusing on finding her clothes again. But she kept thinking about them— thinking about that damn huge smile on Emily Fields's face. God, she hadn't seen her roommate this happy since... _forever_. She had truly never seen her this happy before, and that made _Lexi_ happy.

Aria

Aria decided to go to the library so that she could have a clear head to work.

She was supposed to write a fiction piece for her writing internship and have it in by next week, which was when the internship would begin. She had accepted their offer after English class that day, sending back an eager response indicating that she would be "beyond thrilled" to participate in their program. They quickly e-mailed her back about her first writing task, telling her that she should bring the fiction piece in on her first day of work. She was excited and all, but her nervousness was eating away at her confidence. She wasn't sure how she'd be able to get out a coherent fiction piece, considering how jumbled her mind was feeling at the moment.

She was hoping that the library would give her peace and comfort to find her writing voice, and hopefully write a piece that impressed everyone there.

As she was typing away on her laptop, getting out whatever ideas that she had (mostly ones that weren't exciting her), her phone buzzed quietly. She glanced at the lit up screen to see a text from Liam.

 _Coffee at The Brew? -L_

She frowned. As much as she wanted to go so that she could keep working on her relationship with Liam, she couldn't leave the library now. Not when she had serious work to do. So, quickly, she typed a response to him to politely decline his offer.

 _I want to but I'm writing right now, so can't. Rain check? -Aria_

Soon, she received a response.

 _Sure. Text me later._

She was relieved that he was so calm because now she could get back to focusing on her work. She couldn't think of what to write about at all. She normally loved to write, but her mind had suddenly become a desert and gone blank. It was like she had no creativity at the moment— no astonishing storylines crawling in her head that she wanted to bring to life with words. Her mind was just dry. She sighed, wishing that she could push through this intense writer's block.

But just her luck: Ezra Fitz walked out of a room. He looked like he was about to leave the library, but he was still _there_. And Aria's eyes were still _on him_. And of course, he noticed her as well on his way out, and quickly changed his course to come talk to her.

"Hello, Miss Montgomery," he greeted with a smile. "What are you up to?"

"Oh... I'm just writing— or at least I'm trying to," she sighed.

"I'm happy to hear that you're still trying to write in your free time," he said gently. And unexpectedly, he took a seat at the table across from her. "Are you having writer's block?"

She nodded her head.

"I hate it. I keep thinking hard, but there's... _nothing_ ," she said frustratedly. "My mind just isn't letting me make up a new world right now. I can't think of characters or a storyline or... _ugh_."

He chuckled lightly at her frustration.

"Aria, you're stressing too much. You're thinking too hard," he said, tilting his head to the side. "What are you trying to write about, anyways? I mean, what is this for?"

"It's for that writing internship I was telling you about in class," she replied. "They want me to write them a short fiction piece to bring on my first day. There aren't any prompts or requirements other than that, which is frustrating because right now? Well, right now, I really need someone to give me a damn prompt."

He analyzed her frustration for a moment, and thought deeply about what advice to give her.

"Well, whenever I'm writing fiction, I often get frustrated because I can't think of anything new, too. It's a difficult task to come up with a whole new world, it really is. And sometimes you can do it, but sometimes your mind just won't let you, and it seems like that's what's happening here," he said. "What I do then is draw from my personal experiences. It doesn't have to be an autobiography or anything, but you take your life and base your story off of that. Then, your story becomes more... _real_. It becomes closer to you. And then, the words fly off your fingertips like magic. It always works for me, so... maybe it'll work for you?"

Ezra seemed hopeful, and Aria admired that.

"I will give that a shot," she smiled. "That sounds interesting enough. Thank you, Ez— Professor Fitz."

He scratched his head awkwardly.

"Sorry..." she muttered. "I'm trying to do better. Sometimes it just... comes naturally."

"No, I understand," he nodded his head. "And, you're welcome. I'm always happy to help you."

She bit her lip, gazing at him.

"Um, so what are _you_ doing here, anyways?" she asked curiously. "Professors don't usually come to the library."

"I know, but I was having a one-on-one with a student to discuss his writing," Ezra explained. "It's a good experience. He was struggling with writing his papers for all his classes, so he asked to see me, and we worked together. It was really beneficial, and he's improving a lot. It allows me to give a lot of personal feedback because I can read what they're writing about and really understand what's going through their heads." He bit his lip, then continued, "You know, if you need feedback on your writing before you submit it, I'm happy to read it. I can have a one-on-one with you, if you'd like. Later, though... after you figure out what you want to write about."

Aria wasn't sure if that was a very good idea, but she was tempted to say yes. And she did.

"I would love that," she smiled. "I'll talk to you once I can get some decent words on the page."

She chuckled quietly, and he did as well.

"Okay, I'll see you later, then," he smiled back, getting up from where he was sitting. "Take care, Aria."

"You, too," she said, watching as Ezra left the library.

She sighed, focusing her attention on her laptop again. This time, she was thinking of her own _personal experiences_.

Spencer

Spencer put all her energy into studying for final exams now. She wasn't going to let her mess of a mind stop her from getting her 4.0 GPA this semester. So she decided to stop thinking about what to do about Toby and Bryan, and instead crack open her textbooks. She and Hazel both agreed that they would stay grounded and work on studying hard for finals, not letting anymore distractions in. That was especially aimed at Spencer. Hazel mostly just fed off of Spencer's drama.

Interrupting their study time was a knock on their dorm room door. Reluctantly sighing, Spencer got up from her desk and went to open the door. She felt frustrated when _Bryan_ — one of her distractions— was standing outside. He had two cups of coffee in his hands.

"Hey, killer!" he greeted enthusiastically. "I brought you coffee, and I wanted to know if you wanted to hang out right now."

Spencer weakly smiled at him.

"I can't. I need to study right now. Hazel and I both agreed that we would go all-out study today," she explained apologetically.

"Oh, okay," he nodded his head. "Take the coffee, though."

"Are you sure?" she asked.

"Of course," he chuckled. "What am I gonna do with two cups of coffee, Spence? Besides, you probably need it so that you can stay energized in your study session. I know how angry you get when you don't get your daily dose of caffeine."

She smiled. He really was a good guy, and she felt like she was letting him down.

"Maybe I can hang out for—"

" _Spencer_ ," Hazel stopped her, turning around with an intense glare. "We said no distractions."

"I know, but he came all this way... with _coffee_ ," Spencer reasoned, glancing back at Bryan sympathetically.

"Coffee or no coffee, we both promised each other that today would be all about studying," Hazel reminded her. "You know I think Bryan's awesome, but not right now. Tomorrow."

"Fine, fine," Spencer groaned. "I don't think I can get out of this, Bryan. I'm sorry."

Bryan chuckled.

"No, it's okay. I get it. Finals are very important," he said understandingly. "But I _am_ holding you accountable for hanging out with me tomorrow. No backing out!"

"You got it," Spencer smiled.

"You know, I can study now, too," he let her know. "I've also gotta study for my finals... maybe I could swing by with my books and study with you guys? You know I'm focused, Spence. We always study together and kill our econ exams."

"What do you say to _that_ , Hazel?" Spencer asked, glancing over at her roommate.

" _No_!" Hazel cried. "Normally, I would think that it's great for you to study with him because he's a good student, but I don't think you'd get any work done. I think he lost his study buddy privileges when he started _dating_ you. He's one of the distractions that we said we'd avoid—"

" _One_?" Bryan questioned suspiciously. "What are the others?"

Spencer clenched her fist, frustrated by Hazel's big mouth. Hazel felt stupid, instantly regretting speaking.

"A lot of things," Spencer quickly replied. "I've been distracted by you, TV shows, political articles— especially political TV shows."

Bryan looked at her with disbelief in his eyes. He was going to insist that he wouldn't be a distraction and that he could study with them (since they always had studied together for economics, even when he had a crush on her— he didn't make any moves; they just studied together and did a good job of it) without distracting her. But _now_? He was annoyed. He had a strong feeling that Spencer's distractions included Toby— her ex-boyfriend. Or whatever the hell he was. For all Bryan knew, she was still sleeping around with her ex.

She did it before. And he wasn't exactly _over_ it.

"Yeah, I get it. I'll see you tomorrow, Spence," Bryan smiled weakly.

"Okay," Spencer bit her lip. "Thank you for the coffee, by the way."

"No problem," he said, shutting her door and walking off.

Spencer rolled her eyes when she looked at Hazel.

"You suck ass, you know that, Hazel?" Spencer groaned, slumping back down on her desk's chair.

"I'm _sorry_!" Hazel cried. "It just... I don't know why I said it. I babbled, as usual, and ended up saying something stupid. You know, maybe it's not even a big deal! Maybe he wasn't even thinking that this was about Toby! I mean, why would he?"

"Why _wouldn't_ he?" Spencer raised her eyebrows. "I gave him every reason not to trust me, and he was a sweet enough guy to give me another chance after I messed up. But I doubt he instantly started trusting me again, and he's probably frustrated because now it seems like I'm untrustworthy again."

"Okay, well... just work a little harder to make him trust you again," Hazel suggested. "He'll trust you if you work for it, Spencer. Don't give him any reason _not_ to trust you anymore."

Spencer sighed.

"Maybe he shouldn't trust me," she bit her lip. "Maybe he's right about what he's thinking."

"Oh no... you're thinking about Toby again, aren't you?" Hazel groaned. "Oh God, Spence. You still want him, don't you?"

"I don't know!" Spencer cried. "I don't know what the hell I want!"

"I think you do," Hazel scoffed. "Maybe you should stop leading Bryan on and get yourself together."

"God... this was the whole reason I decided to stop thinking about all these distractions and focus on studying for finals..." Spencer muttered. "Look at me, I'm a mess: I'm thinking about all this stuff again."

"Yeah, I knew talking about this was a bad idea. We're distracted again," Hazel sighed. "Okay, no more! Let's study, Spence."

"You're right," the brunette agreed, trying her hardest to push Toby and Bryan out of her mind and focus on the words on the textbook in front of her.

Emily - Alison

"I am so glad you bought the top. I was right when I said it'd look good on you," Alison smiled proudly as the three girls walked back to Emily and Lexi's dorm room.

"When are you gonna stop praising yourself?" Emily chuckled.

"Hmm, let me think about that," the blonde said jokingly. " _Never_."

Once they arrived at the dorm room, they all stood there for a moment.

"Um, I'll go inside and give you two a moment alone," Lexi smiled, excusing herself and sliding into the dorm room.

Emily and Alison stood there, staring at each other. Emily didn't know why she suddenly felt so nervous around her again. She was getting the same butterflies that she did all those years ago when she had a massive crush on her best friend and didn't know what to do about it. This time, it was different. Alison said she _loved her, too_. They _slept together_. Things were going well, yet Emily was still a nervous fool. Alison just had that effect on her for some reason.

"I had... a lot of fun with you today," Alison suddenly spoke up. "And it was really nice to hang out with Lexi. She's a lot of fun, and she's really sweet."

"Yeah, she is. She's great," Emily agreed, nodding her head. "And so are you, you know. It was a lot of fun hanging out with you."

Alison blushed.

"So, I guess I'll see you tomorrow then, right?" Emily asked. "I mean, we don't have much time together, so..."

"I know. Yeah, I'll see you tomorrow," she replied, nodding her head.

"Okay," Emily said.

She gained some confidence and stepped forward to press a kiss to Alison's lips. It was tender, sweet, and sent emotions running through both of the girls' bodies. Emily's hands flew to Alison's waist, while the blonde's hands were thrown around Emily's neck. When they pulled back, they were both smiling like children at each other.

"Are you sure you don't want me to drive you back to your hotel?" Emily asked, keeping her hands placed on Alison's waist, rubbing up and down gently.

Alison, with her arms still looped around Emily's neck, said, "Thank you for offering, but I can get a cab back."

"At this hour?" Emily raised her eyebrows. "There are many dangers out on the streets at night time, you know."

Alison chuckled.

"I can handle myself, Em," she assured her. "But thank you for trying to protect me. As usual."

Emily smiled sincerely at her.

"Okay, well, text me to let me know that you're back at your hotel safely?"

"Of course."

Emily was tempted to tell her that she loved her again, but she wasn't sure that they were ready to be like _that_ — a domestic couple that said "I love you" to each other frequently. God, she didn't even know if they _were_ a couple. They were in this weird stage where they certainly felt like they were together, but they hadn't talked about it. And Emily wasn't too terribly frustrated about labeling things. She just liked being with Alison, and she didn't want to rush discussions, especially considering the fact that Alison was leaving soon. She would have to hold on until they saw each other again, hopefully that summer in Rosewood.

"Bye, Ali," Emily waved.

"Bye, Em."

The brunette watched as the blonde disappeared. Once she was out of sight, Emily opened her room's door and entered, still smiling from her conversation with Alison. Lexi was sitting on her own bed with a wide smile on her face.

"Um, _hello_ ," Emily chuckled, reaching into her closet to get pajamas.

" _Hello_ , Emily," Lexi grinned.

"Okay, enough of that. What is it, Lex?" Emily asked.

"Nothing bad, I swear," Lexi assured her.

"Okay, well... what is it, still?"

"I was watching the two of you together a lot today. I'm happy that you invited me, actually. I mean, I was afraid that I would be third wheeling and I kinda was, but I got to see you two _together_ ," Lexi gushed. "And God, Em... the way you look at her. I've never seen you look at any girl like that before. Maybe that was what was wrong with your relationship with Paige— you didn't look at her like _that_. It's so... surreal."

Emily blushed.

"Why?"

"You're so happy," Lexi observed. "You really are happy. And I love seeing you so happy, Em. I really do. I missed seeing you laugh and smile. You've rarely ever been so happy since your dad... and it made me sad. But you're finally happy again."

"I am," Emily agreed. "I don't know— it feels like everything's finally falling into place."

"Yeah, and I'm so happy for you. I'm happy that you found someone who makes you smile like that," Lexi said. "You deserve to be really, really happy, Em."

"God, I love you, Lex," Emily chuckled. "You're kinda... insistent, but I love you, anyways."

"Well, I'm just saying... I hope she sticks around," Lexi commented. "I really like her, too. She's sweet."

Emily smiled.

"Yeah, she is. She's always been really, really sweet when she wants to be. She's always had this soft side and... I guess I've always loved that side of her," Emily explained. "I've been seeing a lot more of that ever since I saw her again."

"I know you said she broke your heart before, but I think she grew up. A lot," Lexi said.

"I think she did, too. I'm happy that she did, because I feel like we finally have something... mature. Without any games," Emily said happily. "And wow, you really like guessing and filling in the blanks."

"I do. And _don't_ let that one go, please," Lexi grinned. "I better not see you moping around and ignoring her phone calls the way you do with Paige."

"I can't see that happening," Emily chuckled. "She and I have had our fair share of issues, but for some reason, we always find our way back to each other. We always forgive each other. It's just... the way we are. Because above all, we're friends. No matter what's between us, we've always been friends first."

"Look at you, Emily Fields!" Lexi exclaimed, clapping her hands together. "I have never seen you gushing about a girl this way before! You are _so_ in love with her. It's _crazy_. You went from sleeping around and looking at girls with a dull expression in your eyes to _this_."

"You seriously suck," Emily rolled her eyes.

" _Emily Fields is in looove_ ," Lexi grinned.

"Oh my God, Lex. You're making me regret talking to you about this. This might be the _last_ time I tell you things about my love life," Emily chuckled. "Now, I'm gonna go change into my pajamas. You better calm yourself down."

"Fine, fine. I'll try," Lexi said, chuckling.


End file.
